mfrus 

University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 


THE  APOSTASY, 
REFORMATION,  AND  RESTORATION. 


BY 


KLDKU    WM.    II.    KKLLEY. 


LAMONI,    IOWA: 

PUBIJRHTNO   HOUSE   AND  BOOKBINDERT. 
1908 


Copyright, 

18QO 
BY  WILLIAivi.  H.  KELLEY. 


/w 


IN  01 


ELDER  WILLIAM  H.  KELLEY. 


PIfEFACE. 


Till-    l»o<»U     [g  'Hid    (  '  II  I,'!  !'Lr<  '  !  ill'  article 

puMi>lied  >onie  o  under  the  iitl«-  esidency 

:unl  Priesthood.*1     It-   :  ;m<l  republicatioD  were 

authori/ed  }»y  MII  acl    of  1  1   is 

{>uUi>lir<l    with   M    \ir\\    ot'    in-  i-<l,     Mild 

:11   Mtlrntioll    to  -t    illl|)ort;illt    coil-id- 

tiiMt  rntrr  into  theoloical  di  e  ami  clmrch 


boildi 


J>!  .      tin-    loiiiniMlion    of   tlic    Miitlior- 

i/r<l     system    of    \vor>liip    in    llir    ol  n-atioii,     its 

pioj  .  nr.l  to  it  in  tin-  new  :  MIK! 

the  Church  of  Chris!   i-  pr.  in  .-trikinir  contrast 

to  all  otl  iiip,  in  it>  Miithoi  it  y,  or-Mii- 

i/alinn,  ami  doctrinCj  witli  tin-  vir\\   ot'  im-itin^   iiKjuiry 
in  the  trnth--«M'kcr,  piiltinir  him  in   the    ri^ht    path,  and 

•  n    in  the  thoughtful  everywhere. 

The    apostasy  and    :  ion    are    DOCeSSarily    con>id- 

cred  in  coiineetioii  with  the  restoration.      \o  a} 
due  tor  the  miLrarni>hed  manner    in  which  thn  wrong  is 
arraiiriK-d  and   the   riirht  vindicate*!.        It    is    truth   only 


IV  PREFACE. 

• 

that  is  sought.  If  we  have  it  not,  let  others,  more 
fortunate,  point  out  the  errors.  We  are  in  the  line  of 
the  march  of  ideas  and  progress,  and  say,  in  the  broad- 
est liberality  and  complete  freedom  of  inquiry,  "Prove 
all  things  ;  hold  fast  that  which  is  good."  We  confi- 
dently believe  that  the  "  latter-day  glory"  has  dawned, 
and  the  "  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times "  has 
been  ushered  in,  and  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
world  are  called  upon  to  give  ear.  "Hear ye."  The 
cardinal  principles  of  the  faith  are  set  forth,  and  those 
usually  assailed  by  opponents  are  discussed  at  length. 
It  is  definitive,  aggressive,  and  defensive.  After  an 
extensive  research,  the  author  has  been  compelled  to 
-assume  some  new  positions,  at  variance  writh  the  old 
school  or  notions,  and  these,  of  course,  are  to  be  tried 
by  the  test  of  time  and  criticism.  Since  the  appear- 
ance of  the  original  article,  others  have  expressed  the 
belief  that  "James,  the  Lord's  brother,  succeeded  to  the 
presidency  of  the  church  at  Jerusalem,  soon  after  the 
crucifixion  of  the  Saviour."  In  order  for  convenience, 
and  to  render  the  work  as  authoritative  and  useful  as 
may  be,  references  are  given  to  nearly  all  of  the  cita- 
tions, from  both  sacred  and  profane  history.  Some 
subjects  should  have  been  more  elaborately  presented, 
but  what  is  written  will  at  least  suggest  thought,  and 
the  reader  can  extend  his  inquiry  at  will.  On  the  sub- 


PREFACE.  V 

ject  of  archaeological  researches,  space  would  not  per- 
mit the  extended  investigation  desired  tor  it. 

Indeed,  evidences  on  that  >nl»jcct  hearing  upon  the 
•  jiiotion  con-idercd  arc  almoM  limitle^.  The  appended 
hi>tory  will  l>e  found  a  con\  .-ni-  nee,  ami  will  also  incite 
thought  in  the  nirht  diivetion.  Infallibility  is  not 
claimed  tor  tin-  \\<>rL.  It  i>  handed  out  to  take  its 
rhanccs  among  ivadrrs  and  critics,  iM-lieving  that  it 
possesses  >u Hit  irnt  nn-rit  to  commend  ii-rlf.  Klder  C. 
Scott  rendered  suggestive  aid  in  this  revision,  which  is 
:;tcd  with  pleasure.  I  also  commend  the  reading  of 
"Komani-m  and  the  RepuMie,"  l.\  K'e\  .  Naac  J.  Lan- 
sing, A.  M.,  as  a  book  of  mciit  and  suited  to  the  time>. 
Stil)mitte«l  in  the  intereM  of  progress,  free  investiga- 
tion, and  tact,  with  the  \  irw  of  asserting  exact  liil>le  truth 
and  the  indorsement  of  the  highest  conditions  manifest 
i<>r  the  exaltation  and  salvation  of  man. 

WAI.    II.    KKLLEY. 


1'h'I '.FACE  TO  THE  SECOND  F.WTION. 


The  ready  sale  of  the  first  Jssueof  u  Presidency  and  Priest- 
hood," and  tin-  commendation*,  it  has  received  from  those 
IM-M  qualified  of  its  merits  an  titlicicilt 

assin  •    print    a  >••<•«, ii'l    edition,  lieini:    thus  eOCOCUn 

in  the  thought  tliat  it  will  exert  an  inline: 

read.  It  speaks  for  it>elf,  and  should  he  read  and  reread 
together  with  a  careful  t-xainination  and  r» -iVivmv  to  tlir 
Bible. 

Some  additional  matter  of  hn|M)rtanct'  has  been  introdm •( -.1 

in  this  edition.  iM-ariii-  np  ••!'   the  m<>M   intrieate  sul.- 

jects   di-ens>«-d,  \\hirli    m:.krs   it    of  increased    value   1o    the 

.'••LTiaph    and    likeness  of  th.'   author  is 

inserted  as  a  front  i-pieer  at  tin-  reqae0t  Of  Mends,  and  some 

en-ors  have  been  corrected  that  incidentally oeeurred  in  the 

first  edition 

'I'h:  due  to   many  for  their    fav«.rahle  notice  of  tlie 

book,  and  friendly  criticisms  and  surest  ions,  made  with  a 
vu  w  to  improvement,  or  to  test  some  of  the  positions  taken. 
.ir,  it  has  stood  the  test  of  e\aminati<  n,  and  is  s!i  1  open  to 
criticism;  the  author  believing  that  this  is  a  big  world  of 
ours,  and  that  it  is  laden  with  facts  of  interest  and  worth  to 
all  men,  some  of  which  are  kno\\  n  and  others  lie  on  the  way, 
and  that  no  t  rammelled  lines  of  thought  and  inquiry  l.y  cn-ed. 
illiherality,  intolerance,  unfairness,  or  a  fear  of  coining  to  the 
liirht,  will  manifest  them.  The  Christian,  above  allotl; 
should  be  the  last  one  to  be  creed-bound,  intolerant,  selfish, 


Vlll  PREFACE    TO    THE    SECOND    EDITION. 

and  non-progressive.  The  solemn  injunction,  "  As  ye  would 
that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them,"  is  upon 
him ;  and  he  is  no  Christian  who  is  unfair,  intolerant,"  and  a 
hater  of  others. 

This  is  not  a  book  of  flattery  and  compliments,  to  feed  the 
vanity  of  any,  but  it  treats  of  institutions  and  things  in  the 
light  of  facts,  and  men  in  the  same  way,  when  necessarily  con- 
sidered as  connected  with  great  associations  and  movements 
in  their  time.  It  is  sought  to  get  at  the  bed-rock  of  things, 
especially  that  relating  to  the  religious  world,  with  the 
thought  in  view  that  men  should  walk  b}^  the  light  of  the 
very  highest  possible  attainments  in  life. 

Commended  in  the  interest  of  truth  and  progress. 

WM.   H.   KELLEY. 


i 

INTRODUCTION. 


It  is  thought  advisable  that,  in  tin*  publication  of  the  sec- 
ond   edition   of   »•  Presidency  and    Priol  hood,"  an    introduc- 
chaptcr   be   in-. Tied   as    an   aid    to  the    reader,  in   more 
,'.!y  determining  tin-   subject-matter    in    hand.      It  should 
in    mind    that    this   lx>ok  :id.d    to    instruct 

rather  than  i  .    --  to  impart  valuable   information   and 

stimulate  Biblical  critiei-.m,  rather  than  to   be   idly  lead    for 
iOM    and    pre-M-nt    gratification    and     plea.Mirc.      It    is    a 
•  •nd,  a  key  to   the   x.lvinuof   maii\  QIMMh 

-ies,  and   the   nmh-i standing  of 

the  Bible  and  the  various  n •ligious  sects  and  dmomi nation > 
'  extant. 

'1'h.  i-  \vorld  i-  pr«  -nii.-d    before  the  ivad«-r  as   in  a 

mirror,  U    open    liilile,    v'u-wrd    in     the    li-lit     and 

demands  of   the   times.      Tin-   investigator  will   IM come  more 
and  more  interested  as  he  peruses  the  volume,  and  both  the 
:.nd  the  unlearned  may  read  it  with  refreshing  interest 
and  proiit.     The  first  chapters  are  said  to  be  least  attractive 
to  the  casual    reader,  or  those  who    have   not  thought  exten- 
v  upon  the  subjects  discussed;  yet  they  are  necessary  to 
the  full  understandini:  of  the  matter  presented,  so  the  reader 
may  pu>h  on  hopefully,  with  the  iMmniMM  tliat  more  attrac- 
tive pages  arc  fast  crowding  \\\*n\  him. 

This  is  an  age  of  book-making,  agitation,  and  thought; 
and  ••  1' . .  -  i. ney  and  I'rie-thood  "  adds  one  more  volume  to 
the  many,  and  whoever  carefully  reads  it  will  be  amply 
iv \\arded  for  his  time  and  etTort.  The  comniendat  ions,  from 
those  competent  of  jud.Lrin;_r,  amply  sustain  this  seemingly 
flattering  statement.  It  is  intended  to  aid  one  in  the  exam- 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

ination  of  his  own,  as  well  as  the  faith  of  others,  that  he 
may  be  the  better  prepared  to  give  u  an  answer  to  every 
man  that  asketh  you  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  you, 
with  meekness  and  fear."  (1  Peter  iii.  15.)  Said  St.  Paul, 
"Examine  yourselves,  whether  ye  be  in  the  faith;  prove 
your  own  selves."  (2  Cor.  xiii.  5.) 

The  subjects  of  paramount  importance  discussed  are,  the 
administrative  authority  in  revealed  religion,  or  the  priest- 
hoods upon  which  rested  the  systems  of  faith  and  worship 
both  under  the  old  and  new  covenants,  or  the  church 
under  Moses,  and  that  under  Christ.  Their  respective 
origins  and  distinctive  characteristics,  in  organization,  doc- 
trine, ethics,  spirit,  etc.,  are  discussed  at  length;  especially 
is  the  church  of  Christ,  as  set  forth  in  the  New  Testament, 
with  its  distinctive  authority,  organization,  and  system  of 
worship,  held  out  as  the  ideal  church,  and  put  in  contrast 
with  all  others,  with  a  view  of  more  easily  determining  the 
true  order  of  worship. 

The  question  of  authority  and  right  is  of  first  consider- 
ation in  all  governments,  whether  religious  or  civil.  All 
institutions,  of  whatever  name,  must  be  clothed  with  an 
administrative  authority  and  constitutional  right,  in  order  to 
achieve  success.  Upon  what  does  this  or  that  organization 
rest,  whether  of  church  or  State,  are  questions  of  the  highest 
importance.  Whence  the  authority  in  the  State  and  whence 
that  in  religion,  have  always  been  questions  of  great  moment 
and  deep  solicitude  among  men. 

To  illustrate,  I  will  use  our  own  government,  as  it  is  most 
familiar.  It  is  founded  upon  the  suffrage  of  the  people. 
Every  citizen  is  a  crowned  king.  What  the  people  elect  is 
binding  and  cannot  be  changed.  Their  voice  is  the  authority 
of  .the  government,  the  constitution  and  laws.  What  they 
approve  is  in  force,  and  what  they  forbid  is  prohibited.  By 
common  consent,  the  authority  resident  in  the  people  is 


l\Tl;<  U'l  <    HON.  XI 

i  ami  eoi.  I  I'm-  practical  ends   in  tin-  govern- 

ment, which  is  regulated  l.y  the  constitution  and  laws.      Thus 
pro\  for  tin-  establishment  of  the  i:overnment, 

..iMration  and  perpetuity.      Ilu:  n    is    not 

qualified   administrator  of    the   law,   wha;- 

other  and    privile^^   he    may    enjoy        1'     -ens     \\lio 

are  elected  or  appointed  to  liil  tiic  various   stations  or  oil 
in    the  irovermnent    arc   its  only  i  ..ti\vs,    tho>c  \\ho 

•lame,  and  i.«mc  othi-rs  ran.  in  point  of 
authority  and  oilier,  the  officer  b  greater  than  the  citi/rn. 
Ilcmv,  the  I'rrsidn.  .  judges,  secret:i 

ivprrsnitativrH,    ,tc.,    arc    eni[K)Wered    '  lat    the    inert' 

:  an. I,  without  this  aut hori/ation,  ti 

of  the   most  gifted    and  men    uould    he    Imt    pre- 

sumptuous and  futile.      It  is  also  true  thate\vr,   amhas- 
ton:  duly   authori/cd    l.y  the    gOVem- 

mcir.  -pcakini:   in  i;-    name    or  ii-_r    I'lisineSB 

n  birth  are  aliens  to  tli> 

inent  of  the  I  [    ntes.      II  ,»-hman,  I-'.n^lish- 

man,    Kussian.    (ierman,   Turk,    Persian,   or  what     n<»t. 
be  a  citizen  of  the  I'nitcd  Suites,  except  lie  complies  fully 
with  the  laws  enacted  by  which  he  may  l.c  made  Mich,  admin- 
istered by  an  authorized  agent  of  the  government,  who  may 
speak  in  its  name. 

:thcr,  a  foreigner  iiiijrht  apply  for  eiti/cnship  and 
Comply  perftctly  with  all  the  forms  of  the  law,  take  the  oath 
of  allegiance  administered  by  one  of  tin  most  learned  and 
capable  of  men;  and  yet,  if  the  authority  to  act  did  not 

r,  tin-  whole    transaction  would    he 

lid  and  worthless.      It  would  not  hind    the   government. 
The   foreigner  is  still  a  foreigner.      lie  has   simply  hern   im- 
posed upon.      It   matters   not    how   honest   of   purpose   and 
innocent  of  intention  he   may  have   been,  or   how  much 
lideiice  hr  imposed  in  the  one  who  administered  the  oath  and 


X  i  1  INTRODUCTION . 

gave  him  his  papers,  nor  how  much  money  he  paid  for  the 
services  rendered ;  he  has  simply  been  imposed  upon.  He  is 
yet  an  alien.  If  he  desires  citizenship,  he  must  yet  go  to  a 
competent  officer  of  the  government,  and  be  duly  initiated, 
or  forever  remain  a  foreigner.  Even  an  ordinary  instrument 
of  writing,  such  as  a  bond,  deed,  mortgage,  marriage  certifi- 
cate, etc.,  must  be  executed  by  an  officer  duly  authorized 
under  the  laws  to  perform  said  acts,  or  they  are  of  no  value. 
They  may  be  made  out  according  to  due  forms  of  law,  but 
even  then  it  is  necessary  that  they  bear  the  signature  of  a 
properly  appointed  magistrate,  in  order  that  they  may  be 
valid. 

What  is  true  in  this  respect  of  the  State  is  true  also  con- 
cerning the  church,  except  it  be  in  regard  to  the  source 
from  whence  the  authority  is  derived,  that  of  the  State  origi- 
nating with  the  people  and  that  of  the  church  with  God  ;  so, 
without  divine  appointment  and  authorization,  no  church  has 
a  just  claim  upon  the  conscience  of  the  people.  They  must 
know  that  God  authorized  and  approves  their  system  of  wor- 
ship, in  order  to  inspire  within  them  faith  and  reverence  for  it. 
This  was  true  under  the  old  covenant.  God  descended 
upon  Mount  Sinai  in  burning  fire,  and  from  out  of  the  thick 
cloud  and  thunderings  and  lightnings,  the  trembling  of  the 
eartli  and  sound  of  the  trumpet,  the  voice  of  the  unseen 
King  was  heard  uttering  the  divine  mandates.  Israel  stood 
still,  wrapped  in  awe  and  reverence.  u  Moses  spake,  and 
God  answered  him  by  a  voice."  The  people  heard.  Under 
the  superlative  grandeur  and  majesty  of  this  scene  every 
Israelite  was  made  to  know  that  the  seal  of  Jehovah  was 
upon  his  religion,  and  that  God  was  with  Moses.  For  the 
authorization  and  establishment  of  the  religious  services, 
the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  u  Take  thou  unto  thee  Aaron  thy 
brother,  and  his  sons  with  him,  from  among  the  children  of 
Israel,  that  he  may  minister  unto  me  in  the  priest's  office, 


INTRODUCTION.  XIII 

even  Aaron,  Nadab  and  Abihu,  Eleazer  and  Ithamar, 
Aaron's  sons."  (K\.  \\viii.  1.)  They  were  consecrated  to  an 
iood  throughout  their  generations/' 
The  organization  took  form  in  tlu*  oil  ices  of 
the  priesthood,  which  was  the  administrative  authority  of  the 
constituted  sen-ice,  and  a  whole  tribe  was  set  apart  as  ad- 
ministrators.  The  Aaronic  or  Lcvitical  priesthood  was  the 
authority  to  whirh  every  otlicer  was  consecrated,  and  by 
which  he  was  ant h< Mixed  to  act  in  the  name  of  God  and  the 
people,  without  \\  hi«-h  their  acts  were  mere  presumption,  to 
be  met  with  reprimand  and  rejection.  God  was  the  author 
of  the  service,  and  selected  men  to  serve,  and  authorized 
them  to  speak  in  hi-  name. 

A  similar  exhibition  of  infallible  proofs  of  certainty  and 
divin  nt  and  authority  obtained  under  the  new 

:iant    by  (  lni-t.     A  new  priesthood  and  a  new  older  of 
worship  i  to  be  established  by  the  same  divine  hand, 

that  it    might  have  a   proper   claim    upon    the   people;  for  a 
without    <iod  in  it  is  no  religion,   naught    but  glit- 
tering >h<  i  in  disappointment  to  its  devot. •«•-.      II 
theannouneeinent  made  l.y  John  the  UaptiM,  "Repentye:  for 
the    kingdom    of  heaven    is  at   hand,"  challenged  the    e«.n- 
people  and   the  «  of  things  in 

hi-  tin!.-  am«ni._r  tlie  M-ets,   as    did  the    thunder-  of   Sinai  that 
of    Israel  in  the  \\  ilderne--. 

Old  customs,  traditions,  and  usages  were  drawing  to  a 
close,  notwithstanding  they  were  lirmly  embedded  in  the 
affections  of  the  people.  "The.  baptism  of  John,  whence 
WOS  it  r  from  heaven,  or  of  men?"  (Matt.  was  of 

importance   to   the    people.     It  was  the    question  of 
In  this  age  the  answer  is  easily  given  from  the 
nt,  in    the    language,   fc»  There  w  as  a  man    sent 
from  (iod,  whose  name  was  John,"  but  in  its  first  announce- 
ment that  answer  was  not  accepted  by  the  religious  leaders. 


XIV  INTRODUCTION . 

Under  the  old  covenant,  the  voice  of  God  was  heard  from 
the  burning,  frowning,  cloudy  top  of  Sinai.  But  under  the 
new,  with  its  message  of  peace  and  glad  tidings  to  all  men,  it 
was  said  to  John  in  the  silent  shades  of  the  wilderness  to 
u  go  preach  and  baptize."  "  And  John  bare  record,  saying,  I 
saw  the  Spirit  descending  from  heaven  like  a  dove,  and  it 
abode  upon  him.  And  I  knew  him  not :  but  he  that  sent  me 
to  baptize  with  water,  the  same  said  to  me,  Upon  whom  thou 
shalt  see  the  Spirit  descending,  and  remaining  on  him,  the 
same  is  he  which  baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  I  saw, 
and  bare  record  that  this  is  the  Son  of  God."  (John  i. 
32-34.) 

Upon  the  peaceful  plains  of  Bethlehem,  angels  chanted  the 
coming  of  the  new-born  King.  u  I  bring  you  good  tidings 
of  great  joy,  which  shall  be  to  all  people.  For  unto  you  is 
born  this  day  in  the  city  of  David  a  Saviour,  which  is  Christ 
the  Lord."  (Luke  ii.  10,  11.) 

In  baptism,  down  upon  the  shores  of  the  restive  Jordan,  the 
voice  of  God  was  heard  :  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son."  Again, 
"  Hear  ye  him."  God  speaking  from  a  higher  altitude  than 
Sinai,  out  of  heaven  itself.  This  King  Immanuel  announced, 
u  I  come  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  my  own  will,  but  the 
will  of  him  that  sent  "me."  (John  vi.  38.)  "The  Father 
which  sent  me,  he  gave  me  a  commandment,  what  I  should  say 
and  what  I  should  speak.  And  I  know  that  his  command- 
ment is  life  everlasting."  (John  xii.  49,  50.) 

That  all  the  world  might  be  placed  under  reasonable  obli- 
gations to  obey  this  message,  by  an  appeal  to  judgment, 
conscience,  affection,  and  faith,  Jesus  said,  u  My  doctrine  is 
not  mine,  but  his  that  sent  me.  If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he 
shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I 
speak  of  myself."  (Johnvii.  16,  17.)  Again,  "  I  will  pray 
the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he 
may  abide  with  you  for  ever."  (John  xiv.  16.)  This  was  to 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

bethetlod    ill     111:111,   tlir    seal    of    divine    approval.       So    it  IS 
written,  M  '1'h.  :nto  you,  and  to  your  children, and 

:  In-    Lord  out   < 

shall  call."      (Act-  ii.  39.)     "Ye  may  all    prophesy  one  by 
This  divine  recognition  was  to  abide  with  the  believer 

. 

This  new  service  under  ;  loses  took  the  place  of 

•  .d,  brin-ini:  the  people  not  as  kk  iiutothe  mount  that  miirht 
be  touched,   and   that    burned   with   lire,"    luit  M  unlo  Mount 
1  unto  the  city  of  tin*  liviiiur  (  iod.  the  heavenly  .leru- 
'ii,  and  to  an  innuuieral'le  company  of  :ui;j. 
••'I'o    the    gefienJ    MSembty    and   churcli  of  the  !ir-t-l»orn, 
\\  hieh  ai'e  \\  ritten  in  heave:. 

thi-  new  eoveiia.  upon  lu-t  ter  proin- 

ilian    the  old,  was    madi-  a  hi-h   p;  the   or-1 

.  was  in  his  similitude.      lie    announce.  1,  *k  I  will 
lniild  my  rhun -!i. "     The OrgftllisatiOQ  took  form  in  the  <>;! 

of  the  hi-h   prtesth 1,  not    in  the  1  as  under  Moses, 

with    prie-N  and   Levile-,  l.ut    that    of  the    Melchisedek,  with 
and    prophr-    ,  ,x,  and    ' 

•  -liief  administrators,  .lesus  liim-el:  -the 

apostle  and   lii.irh  prirst."      lit-  clothed  his  ministry  \\ith  this 

authority  ,  amanded  them  to  speak  *'  in  the  name  of  the 

ihe    Son,  and    the    Holy    <;host";  guve    them    the 

ys  of  tlu-  kin  md  power  to  hind  and  loose  under 

-eal.      '1'he  complete    or<r:ini/.atioii    was   to    l»e   huilt  up  a 

"spiritual  hou>e  and  an  itbood.*1 

The  ureat  world  stood  to  this  new  church   in   the  liirht  of 

\ vd  into  it  by  obey- 

;shed   laws    of   initiation,   or  were  "  tran>! 
into  the   kingdom  of  his  de:.r  >.  .n  "    l.y    those  appointed   ad- 
ministrators.     (Col.  i.  !.'».)      So   I'aul  wrote,  4*  are 

The  new  subjects  received  wei* 
entitled  to  all  of  the  rights  and   privileges  of  the  older  citi- 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

zens  —  "the  seal  of  their  adoption'*  —  communion  with 
God.  So  the  authorized  agents  "went  forth  and  preached 
everywhere,  the  Lord  working  with  them,  and  confirming  the 
word  with  signs  following."  (Mark  xvi.  20.) 

When  one  set  of  officers  ceased,  by  death  or  otherwise, 
their  places  were  filled  by  others  by  divine  designation.  So 
Paul  wrote,  "  As  the  Lord  hath  called  every  one,  so  let  him 
walk.  And  so  ordain  I  in  all  the  churches."  (1  Cor.  vii. 
17.)  "  For  how  shall  they  preach,  except  they  be  sent?" 
(Rom.  x.  15.) 

Thus  the  church  was  represented  by  its  accredited  agents. 
The  first  officers  were  not  intended  to  remain  always  in 
the  church  as  its  administrators,  no  more  than  it  was 
intended  that  the  first  officers  appointed  in  the  civil  govern- 
ment should  remain  as  its  perpetual  servants.  In  either 
case,  a  proper  appointment  and  commission  was  necessary, 
in  case  of  death  or  removal,  in  order  that  the  government 
might  be  perpetuated  and  the  transactions  be  with  author- 
ity and  legal  right.  So  Washington,  Jefferson,  Jackson, 
and  others  have  had  their  successors  in  the  civil  government ; 
and  it  was  intended  that  the  apostles,  prophets,  etc.,  should 
have  theirs  in  the  ecclesiastical  government. 

All  foreigners  were  received  into  the  church  by  obeying 
the  laws  of  adoption  administered  by  its  authorized  agents, 
who  were  entitled  to  speak  and  act  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ;  otherwise,  their  acts  were  assumptive  and  invalid, 
and  God  would  not  confirm  the  transactions  by  the  seal  of 
his  favor.  Did  any  one  desire  to  unite  with  the  church  and 
conform  perfectly  to  the  laws  of  adoption,  and  the  adminis- 
trations were  performed  by  one  not  authorized  to  act  or 
administer,  the  transaction  was  held  to  be  invalid.  The 
party  was  yet  an  alien,  and  needed  to  go  and  be  duly  in- 
ducted by  a  competent  officer,  —  no  matter  how  learned  the 
man  who  assumed  to  perform  the  act  unauthorized,  nor  how 


[NTBODUCnOH.  xvn 

much  he  was  paid  for  his  service,  —  if  he  would  become  a 

citi/en  and  attain  to  the  privileges  ami  execllences  promised 
l>y  the  heavenly  Kinir  to  citi/.e:  i  \\as  the  reeogni/cd 

authority  and  i'  the  New  Testament  church. 

It  is  intended,  also,  t  lume  that  the  (  hurch 

established  at    -  I  the  system  of  worship  then 

set  up,  grew  and  flourished  for  a  season.     That  there  was  in 
•rs  a  COrrupti'      .  :ie,  and    a   departure    from    the 

faith.  That  another  system  of  worship  arose,  unlike  it, 
which  assumed  to  take  i  .  died  in  prophecy  the 

11  Man  of  Sin."     This    made   p.^siMc  -ting 

sects  or  denominations  ;    and  their  origin,  distin  .rac- 

and  the  primitive  chmvh, 

are  discussed  at   length    in    this    hook,   and    their  ivspe- 
claims  to  'V  and  how  they  ol.taini-d  ,th. 

Al>'  K'h  of  p:  :ion 

of  the  gospel  to  be  e«t:il»li.-hed  in  the  l:,-t  day-  previous  to 
the  second  coining  of  the  Saviour  forth,  v>\\h  a 

dissert  a:ion  upon  t'i  •  t  \\.-nty-nintli  chapter  of  Isaiah  and  the 
levealincnt  of  tlie  4t  sealed  book"  th  rein  inn  with 

the  arcluuoloir'n  al  licalcvi.i  Carding  the  earli- 

inhahitants  of  th'  -inent,   their  J»ast  and 

future,  toirrt her   \\ith    the  .e    land   of   Palest ine,  and 

the  Nraeliti>h  and  Kiryptian  origin  of  the  progenitors  of  the 
American  Indian  .  civili/:i!'  .  .-.\  led-j;e,  and 

11  the  arts  and  s<  vligion,  etc.,  with 

similes  of  their  mam  iitin<_r,   and   other  history  and 

matters  of  in  rcher  for 

truth.  Tell  things  as  they  arc,  is  the  motto  of  this  book, 
without  ilattery  or  favor  to  any,  whether  powerful  and 
inlluential,  or  w.-ak  and  inconsiderate. 

We  are  com  »  met  things  as  they  are,  not  as  we 

would  like  to  :u  ;    and  the  counsel  worthy  the  highest 

IdermtkMI  Is,  "  Trove  all  things;  hold  fast  that  which  is 


CONTENTS. 


PAOB 

MIAl'TKK    1 1 

The  Priesthood  defined.  —  Iu  Antiquity.  —  It  U  known  under  two  heads, 
that  of  the  Melchlaedcc  and  the  Aaronio  Priesthood*.  -  One  called 
after  the  name  of  Melchisedec.  the  other  after  Aaron.  —The  Aaronio 
administered  the  Law,  the  Melchisedec  the  Gospel. 


Ml  M'l  i:ii    II 7 

The  Unchangeablllty  of  Deity.  -  Antiquity  of  the  Gospel.  —The  Melchls- 
cdee  and  the  Aaron Ic  Priesthoods  were  conferred  upon  Uie  Ministry 
in  the  Time  of  Moses. 

MI  M'TF.K   III 16 

Positions  in  the  Priesthood  cannot  be  assumed  with  Impunity.  — The  Mel- 
chlnedec  and  the  Aaronic  Priesthoods  were  conferred  upon  the  Chris- 
tian Mini" 

MI  Al'TKk   IV 30 

The  Change  of  the  LevUical  Priesthood  from  I>miea  under  the  Law  to 
Service*  In  the  Gospel  System.  —  It  in  inferior  to  the  Mclchisedec 
Priesthood.  —  The  Office*  io  the  Priesthood  are  Perpetual,  the  Occu- 
pants Transitory.  —  They  were  tilled  by  Divine  Appointment  in  the 
Christian  Dispensation.  —  Provision  in  the  Priesthood  for  Apostles, 
Seventies,  High  Priests,  Prophets,  Elders,  Dishops,  Priests,  Tea* 
and  Deacons. — The  New  Testament  the  Standard  or  Test  by  which 
all  Religious  Denominations  should  be  tried,  and  those  found  not  to 
be  in  Harmony  with  this  Pattern  should  be  rejected. 

MIAl'TKK  V 61 

The  Office  of  the  Chief  Apostle  and  iliirh  Priest  the  superior  one  in  the 
Church.  —  Jesus  tilled  thU  Ofllce  in  the  Church  while  on  Karth.  — IU» 
was  succeeded,  after  his  Ascension  into  Heav**uxby  James,  the  Lord's 
brother. 


XX  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  VI J67 

The  President  of  the  Church  continued.  —  He  had  two  Counsellors,  most 
likely  Jude  and  Silas,  or  Judas. —  James,  the  Son  of  Zebedee,  Peter, 
and  John  were  not  constituted  a  First  Presidency  over  the  Entire 
Church.  — Peter  the  President  of  the  Twelve  Apostles.  —  The  Cardi- 
nal Principles  of  the  Faith.—  The  Laws  of  Initiation  into  the  Church. 

CHAPTER  VII. .         .        85 

• 

The  Virgin  Church.  —  The  Rise  and  Prevalence  of  the  Man  of  Sin,  or 
Mystery,  Babylon. 

CHAPTER  VIII 106 

The  Reformation.  —  Protestant  Churches,  namely,  Lutheran,  Calvinist, 
Presbyterian,  Episcopalian,  Baptist. —The  latter's  Claims  to  Trans- 
mitted Authority. 

CHAPTER  IX. 157 

John  Wesley  and  the  Methodist  Church.  —  Friends  or  Quakers.  —  Congre- 
gationalists.  —  Disciples  or  Campbellites.  —  The  Policies  of  both 
Roman  Catholics  and  Protestants  Pacific  when  Law  forbids  Proscrip- 
tion. —  The  Spirit  of  Old  Persecutions  assumes  a  Mild  Form. 

CHAPTER  X 193 

Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints. 

CHAPTER  XI 252 

Modern  Scientific  Disclosures  corroborate  the  Statements  of  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  that  the  Characters  submitted  by  him  and  Martin  Harris  to  the 
Inspection  of  Dr.  Mitchell  and  Prof.  Anthon,  of  New  York  City,  were 
true  ones,  and  were  copied  from  the  Records  of  the  Ancient  Inhabit- 
ants of  America,  as  affirmed  and  testified  to  by  him  and  others.  * 

CHAPTER  XII 

The  Testimony  of  numerous  Authors. 


PUKSIDKN*  Y   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 


CIIAPTKU    I. 

'I'm    Picir-STHOOD  DBFINF.I'.--  I  i-  ,   —  I  i   i-  K  \«  >\\  \  r  M  >ri: 

•    in  M».     in  \i    «'i     i  in     M  .....  I-IPM      \\i»    im:     LkftONlQ 

I'lMI  -IIHMHM*.—  ONI      CAM.KD     M    ||  K     MM  MlHlll-l- 

.  THE  OTllli:    M  ;M:  A  M:«>\         Tin     \  \i:«  -M.  M  -MI  M-: 

mi    l.\\v,  TIIK  MKI.CIIISKI>K(*  TIIK  GOSPEL. 


>.  —  \\  \\:\\  \<+\\  u-tinc-  it  t«»  i 

"  1.    Tim  office  or  character  «.f   i  | 

w  2.   The  onlrr  of  mm  >rt  Mpnrt  I'M  Bacred  offices. 

More    fully   ilrtiiiril,    }>rirsthood    on    cMrth    is 
authority  and  order  of  God  rommittrd  unto  mm,   l.v 
whidi    they   are   duly  empowered   and   commi->innr<l 
l<>    j>r«-:irli    the    •ro-iprl    and    a«lmini>tcr   the   ordin:i 
<-of:     namely,    to    l»nptize,    lay   on    hands,    !»!• 
admini.-tc-r  the  Lord's  supper,  ordain,  and  perform  any 
an  I    all   other  duties  required   in  the  admiui-t  ration  of 
iniiient  of  l\\<  church  or  kiuir<lom  among  IiK'ii. 

It  iitei-red    upon    men   as   early   as   Cain  and 

Aliel  :  IK  IP  e  it  la  u  old,  at  lea-t  ,  as  the  race  of  man. 

The  offices  of  the  priesthood  are  varied,  hear  dis- 
tinctive names,  and  are  made  eonfmuous.  The  OCCU- 
pants  may  !»e  r  -moved,  l»ul  the  otliee^  remain,  having 
been  fixed  by  the  hand  of  Deity. 


2  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

Those  permitted  to  hold  these  several  positions  take 
the  name  of  the  office  to  which  they  are  respectively 
assigned,  not  the  office  the  names  of  the  persons. 

No  one  can  rightly  assume  to  act  in  the  offices  of 
the  priesthood  until  he  is  duly  appointed  by  the 
great  Author  of  the  institution,  and  complies  perfectly 
with  the  laws  and  usages  governing  such  appoint- 
ments. 

The  Scriptures  reveal  a  priesthood  and  a  connected 
line  of  priests,  clearly  set  out,  all  the  way  back  from 
the  apostles  to  Aaron,  which  is  traceable  through  the 
Levites.  This  is  called  the  Aaronic  priesthood,  but  it 
did  not  originate  with  Aaron,  or  in  his  day,  neither 
was  it  prepared  for  him,  but  he  for  it.  (See  Ex. 
xxviii.  1.)  God  said  unto  Moses,  "Take  Aaron  thy 
brother,  and  his  sons  with  him,  from  among  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  that  he  may  minister  unto  me  in  the 
priest's  office."  An  office  already  extant,  and  in  wait- 
ing for  an  occupant.  (See  also  Ex.  xix.  23,  24.) 

A  chief  duty  of  this  office  was  to  offer  a  lamb  upon 
the  altar,  which  was  a  type  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  Son 
of  God.  Cain  and  Abel  were  commanded  to  obey  this 
rule.  (Gen.  iv.  3,4.)  They  brought  offerings  before 
the  Lord  for  a  sacrifice,  which  clearly  proves  that  the 
authority  of  the  priesthood  and  the  office  of  a  priest 
were  vested  in  some  one  at  that  time.  "The  Lord  had 
respect  unto  Abel  and  to  his  offering." 

To  argue  that  the  Aaronic  priesthood  came  into  ex- 
istence in  the  time  of  Aaron  simply  because  it  bears  his 
name,  would  be  to  assume  that  the  high  priesthood 
originated  with  Melchisedec  because  it  bears  his  name. 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  3 

Admitting  this  for  the   argument,  will    BOOM  OD6  tell  Hfl 

l»y  what  authority  men  administered  at  the  altar  l»>  : 
the    time    of    Mclchi  ley    which    Ahel    otlered   an 

.  ptaMe  oHerini:."  and  Noah  otliciatcd  as  a  priest? 
If  men  could  properly  administer  before  the  Lord  in 
olden  times  without  the  authority  of  either  the  Mel- 
rhi-  ihe  Aaronic  prie-tli«>,.d-,  \\iiy  WU  the  QM 

of  either  estii  Mi  -hed  ?  The  a»lmi--iou  that  (iod  ha-  at 
any  tinir  eoininiticd  the  pi-ir-tli.M.d  a-  a  inrans  ofautlior- 
i/inir  men  to  admini-ter  hrture  him  aeeeptahly,  nn>t 

be  taken  u  poeitiTC  Bi  klencc  of  n-  necessity. 

I'he    iu-pired    i  eh-arly  reveal   and   provide  for 

the  cxi-tenee   of    1  Wn   pl'iextl.  '.,    tile    Mclch  i-e<  |<  c 

and  the  Aaronie.  Under  one  or  lx)th  of  these  the  «j-..\  - 
ei-mnriit  of  (iod  was  administered  from  Al»el  to  riiri-t, 
each  priesthood  having  rate  and  specific  dut  ie> 

assigned. 

Tliat  the  Me|rhi-rd»-e  |irie-th«Mid  ITftfl  rxtaul  a-  early 
a-  the  tiiiH-  of  Ahrahain  i-  >ho\vn  fioin  (iene-i<  \iv.  18, 
19,  as  follow-  :  - 


\  i  |ff(  .--liistMlrr  kini;  of  Salem  brought  fnrtli  Ijrcad  and 
win.  :  ami  In  w;is  thr  priest  of  the  most  high  (Jod.  And  he 
blessed  him,  ami  >ai«l.  UI.^scil  l.c  Ahramof  the  mnvt  \\\^\\  <.(».!, 
possessor  of  heaven  and  earth." 

u  He  blessed  him  that  had  the  promises."—  IIrl>.  vii.  C. 

Tliat  prie-thood  has  neither  descent,  "  l>eginning  of 
days,  or  end  of  life."  It  \\as  IM  fore  Ifelchisedec. 
l>iie^t>  of  that  order  arc  "made  like  unto  the  Son  of 
God;  ahideth  a  priot  continually."  (Heh.  vii.  3.) 
After  the  time  of  Melehix'dec  the  hiirh  jjriothood  was 
called  by  his  name  instead  of  by  its  former  title,  evU 


4  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

dently  because  Melchisedec  was  a  noted  and  a  very 
worthy  high  priest ;  and  the  lesser  priesthood  was 
called  after  the  name  of  Aaron,  because  he  also  was 
such  a  distinguished  high  priest  of  that  order.  These 
two  priesthoods  were  conferred  upon  men,  in  the  ages 
that  are  past,  as  a  means  of  authorizing  them  to  ad- 
minister acceptably  in  the  government  of  God.  Their 
duties  were  separate  and  distinct.  Those  of  the 
Aaronic  priesthood  are  clearly  and  definitely  set  out. 
(See  Ex.  xxviii.  29  ;  Lev.  viii.  ;  Ex.  xxx.  17+21 ; 
Lev.  x.  9;  xxi.  7-14;  vi.  12;  2  Chron.  xiii.  11; 
Num.  iv.  5-15  ;  xviii.  26-28  ;  Lev.  x.  11 ;  Deut.  xxx. 
10,  etc.) 

Paul,  in  writing  of  this  priesthood,  says  :  — 

"  And  eveiy  priest  standeth  daily  ministering  and  offering 
oftentimes  the  same  sacrifices,  which  can  never  take  away 
sins." — Heb.  x.  11.  "If  therefore  perfection  were  by  the 
Levitical  priesthood  (for  under  it  the  people  received  the  law), 
what  further  need  was  there  that  another  priest  should  rise 
after  the  order  of  Melchisedec,  and  not  be  called  after  the 
order  of  Aaron?  "  —  Heb.  vii.  11. 

This  shows  a  distinction  in  the  two  priesthoods,  the 
Melchisedec  being  the  greater.  The  "law  of  carnal 
ordinances "  was  administered  by  the  Aaronic  priest- 
hood. It  did  not  "  make  the  comers  thereunto  perfect." 
Priests  of  that  order  were  made  "after  the  law  of  a 
carnal  commandment,"  —  this  phrase  expresses  simply 
the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  Mosaic  institutions  that 
were  "added  because  of  transgressions, "and  which  were 
not  a  necessary  part  of  the  gospel  (Gal,  iii.  19),  — and 
"were  not  suffered  to  continue  by  reason  of  death." 


ri;i>ii'i.\<  v    \\i>    PRIESTHOOD.  5 

-  II. -h.  vii.  1(1,18,19,  23;  x.  9,  10,  11,  18  j   Gal,  ii.  16  j 

•  :    Rom.  iii.  :><),    :M ,    i>s,  :md   viii.  l\  :    Kph. 

ii.  :> ;  Col.  ii.  80,  el 

ThN  is  to  arirne  that  the  Meli-hi-edce  priesthood  ad- 
min; |  higher  code,  :i  more  pn  •',•,•!  >ystcm  than 
did  that  of  Aaron.  Prie-i-  of  this  order  wen-  made 
"like  unto  the  Son  of  God  :  ahideth  a  prie-i  contin- 
u:ill\."  1I.-K.  \ii.:i.)  Made  "  after  the  j»o\verof  an 
endle>s  life."  (Hel>.  vii.  hi.)  What  mui  tlii^  liiLdier 
and  more  j>crfect  code  or  -v-tein  that  re«jiiired  the 

Illltlioril  V  ()f    the    Melehi-edrr    J-re-thood   for   it-     adinill- 

l.-ntly    the    gOgpel  :     tor 
:it-  the  gospel  88  ^thc  prrfert    law    of 
(i.  25.)     AL  ''royal  law."    (ii.  88.)    Thi^  u  the 

systt'in  thronirli  which  )>erfeeti<.n  may  l>c  secured  to  the 

believers,  ^  afl   pertaininir  to   the  con-eimrr."      It    eon- 

I  I lu;  soul,  makes   \vi><»  the  simple.      (I1-.  \i\.  4.) 

In   short,    "It    i-    the    p«  (iod   unto    -aUatiou   to 

ie  that    helie\rth."        (  Knlll.    i.    1  ' 

\\  hat  authority  udmiuNter-  tins  perfect  code?  A 
law  would  he  a  nullity  without  some  power  to  admini  — 
ter  it.  The  "law  of  Moses,"  the  "  school  ma  M«  i,  which 
ln-ouirht  "death,"  wa-  adiuini-tcied  by  the  Aaronie 
prie-thood  :  it  follows,  then,  that  "  the  royal  law,"  the 
"period  law  of  liberty,"  the  ifo-pel,  is  administered 
l»y  the  authority  of  thr  Melchi>edec  priesthood.  Tin- 
will  account  for  its  having  l»een  reinstated  in  the  time 
of  our  S-  per-onal  mini-fry  amonir  men.  Moses' 

law  \\a-  to  l.e  done  away  and  the  gospel  reinstated. 
The  "irlad  tidings  of  irreat  joy,"  the  immutable-  laws  of 
life,  were  to  be  preached  in  all  the  world  ;  and  of  IK 


6  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

sity  it  required  the  unchangeable  priesthood  to  admin- 
ister it,  as  in  days  of  old. 

If  the  Melchisedec  priesthood  is  not  the  one  by  which 
the  gospel  should  be  preached  and  its  laws  administered, 
why  did  God  introduce  and  authorize  men  to  work  by 
it  in  the  time  of  the  Saviour?  If  the  gospel  could  have 
been  properly  preached  and  administered  without  it, 
why  was  its  use  established?  If  Christ  and  his  minis- 
try were  empowered  with  this  priesthood  as  an  essential 
means  of  presenting  the  gospel  system,  who  shall  be 
so  presumptuous  as  to  affirm  that  the  gospel  can  be  ac- 
ceptably administered  without  it  in  any  age  ?  To  argue 
that  it  can  is  to  charge  Deity  with  instituting  a  non- 
essential —  something  of  no  worth.  The  priesthood 
was  not  limited  to  a  given  time  and  then  to  cease,  but 
was  to  be  continued  with  the  true  order  of  worship.  It 
was  transmitted  from  Abel  to  Noah  through  the  people 
denominated  "Sons  of  God."  (Gen.  vi.  2  ;  Job  i.  6.) 
By  him  it  was  brought  across  the  flood  (Gen.  vi !i.  20) 
and  remained  with  his  descendants  so  long  as  they  con- 
tinued in  the  true  order  of  worship.  It  belonged  of 
right  to  Abraham,  who  was  a  descendant  from  Noah 
through  Shem.  (Gen.  xi.  1.)  He  builded  an  altar  in 
Canaan.  (Gen.  xii.  8  ;  xiii.  4.)  Melchizedek  held  the 
high  priesthood  at  this  time,  who  had  received  it  from 
his  predecessors.  It  also  remained  among  men  until 
Moses,  for  Moses'  father-in-law,  a  Canaanite,  seems  to 
have  held  the  true  priesthood  and  worshipped  the  true 
God.  (Ex.  xviii.)  "We  agree,"  say  Doctors  Smith 
and  Cheatham,  "with  the  Jewish  tradition,  that  Adam 
was  the  first  priest."  Isaac  and  Jacob  were  priests, 
also.  (Gen.  xxvi.  25.) 


CIIAITKU    II. 

TlIB  I  vr.ii  n\  OP  Di  n  v.  —  ANrnjrn  v  or  rm:  ('.MMMI  .  — 

THE    Mri'insKDKC    AM>    TIIK    .\\KM\K     l'i:ii  >i  HUMPS    \\IKK 
CONFKRKKD   UPON   TIIK  MlM-.i.^     IN     NIK   TiMK  OK  MOSBS. 


THE   Holy  Scriptures    teaeh    that   God's   ways   are 
"e.jiial  •  ;  that  he  ohtDgM  Dot      i  Eft,   \\  iii.  I  Mai. 

111.  •'..  i      Tl:  true,  and  ho  has  ordained  a  mean- 

of  saUation,  a  plan,  a  system,  and  a  power  lor  it- 
adinini-tiatiMn,  at  any  time  or  place,  then  that  is  hi- 
plan  t<»-,ia\  :  <»thrr\vise,  lie  has  ch<i,  ••!•'!  hi-  ODOi  «1«-- 
rlai'ed  plan  nr  BJftem.  If  it  lias  l.rrll  ehailLred,  \\hel-e 

is  the  law  revealing  the  change?  What  i-  the  plan 
iiou  '.'  I>id  he  introduee  this  |a-t  our?  It'  he  did  nut, 
uhudid.'  Does  the  Mnt  now  ie>emUe  the  an- 

cient one?  All  of  the>e  are  leLri  t  iinat  e,  suggest  i  \  c  111- 
<|iiirie-  that  naturally  arise  in  a  rell.-.-tivr  mind,  and 
thr\  ;I|«M!  to  an  an-wcr. 

lint  some  one  \\ill  >ay  that  tfthe  Melchiseclec   priest- 

hoo<l  liein_ir  the  authority  whieh  admini>ters  in  .spiritual 

things,  and  l»y  wliirh  tl.-  1  i-  preached,   it  follows 

that  when  it  i-  extant  aniuiiLT  men,  the  gospel  also  should 

imiiitted;   and  that  Melchisedec  having  held  this 

thotif  would  Irad  to  the  l)elief  that  the  gospel  was 

hed  in  liis  day,  long  before  the  time  of  the  apos- 

tles."     Just  so,  my  friend.     There  is  nothing  more  true. 

"What!    faith    in   (  iod,  in  ,Ie>u>  (  'hri>t    and    the   go>pel 


8  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

system  away  back  in  those  olden  times  !  "  Certainly, 
why  not?  Paul  says,  "  The  gospel  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth."  (Rom.  i. 
16.)  It  is  the  means  of  salvation.  "  And  hath  brought 
life  and  immortality  to  light  through  the  gospel."  (2 
Tim.  i.  10.)  This  is  the  only  means  by  which  the 
condition  of  eternal  life  may  be  obtained ;  no  other  is 
known  ;  and  since  men  were  saved  in  the  time  of  Adam, 
Enoch,  Noah,  and  Abraham,  it  follows  that  they  must 
have  been  in  possession  of  a  knowledge  of  the  gospel 
and  obeyed  it. 

Reader,  what  induced  you  to  obey  the  gospel  ?  Was 
it  not  because  you  were  persuaded  that  it  was  a  duty, 
and  that  you  could  not  be  saved  without?  If  you 
cannot  be  saved  without  obeying  the  gospel,  how  could 
Enoch,  Abraham,  Melchisedec,  Moses,  etc.?  God 
is  not  partial  nor  a  respecter  of  persons.  Upon  what 
principle  of  justice  and  impartiality  could  he  save  the 
ancients  without  obeying  the  gospel,  and  condemn  you 
for  not  obeying  it?  You  answer,  "A  man  is  responsi- 
ble for  what  he  knows,"  and  assume  that  they  did  not 
know  of  the  gospel,  and  therefore  could  not  obey  it; 
which  is  to  say  that  they  entered  heaven  on  the  plea 
of  ignorance,  —  climbed  up  some  other  way.  Jesus 
says,  "He  that  climbeth  up  some  other  .way,  the  same 
is  a  thief  and  a  robber."  Ignorance  will  never  point 
the  way  to  heaven  as  a  means  of  rescue  for  sinners,  else 
Christ  would  never  have  commanded  his  .ministry, 
"  Go  teach  all  nations."  "He  that  heareth  you  heareth 
me."  (Luke  x.  16.)  "And  whosoever  will  not  re- 
ceive you,  when  ye  go  out  of  that  city,  shake  off  the 


IMHKSTHOni). 

du-t  from  youi  '  a  testimony  againsl  them." 

(Luke  i\.  5.)  The  gospel  is  tin-  mad  to  heaven.  He 
that  hear-  and  ol.ey-  it  ha-  tin-  promi-e  of  heaven  :  hut 
he  that  obeys  it  not  has  not  the  promi-<-  ot'  a  celestial 

The  gospel  require-,  tir-t,  a  belief  in  Go<l   and  in 
is  Chri-t.       Paul  .-ay-  :  — 

"To  us  there  is  hut  one  Go<l,  tin*   Father,  of  wln-m  arejill 
thin-.:-.  :in<l   \\«-   in   him:  :unl  on«»   Lortl  Jrsu-   Christ,  hy   whom 
ill  things,  and  wr  hy  him."  —  1  Cor.  viii. 

ma  -aid,  "  Ye  l.rlicve   in  ( iod,  belie\  e   also  iii  in,-." 

in     \iv.    1.)        Tl:  tile    ohjeets    of    faith,   eoilti- 

dence,  and  wor-hip  in  a  irospel  sense.  Secondly,  a 
Compliance  With  .imandment-  Lriven  is  reijnirrd. 

"  lie  that  hath  my  eominandments  and  keej>eth  them, 
he  it  i-  that  lo\eth  me/'  -:iid  JeSU*.  (.luhn  xiv.  lM  .  ) 
"\\'l.  heaivth  tli«  of  mine  and  doeth 

them/'  i  Mail.  vii.  iM .  ,  Ves,  it  i-  ui'itteii,  "  He  that 
helieNeth  and  i-  l»aj.  i/«-«l  *\\:t\\  IM-  -a\c<l."  (Maik  xvi. 
16.)  Faith  i-  a  lir-t  re«juircin.-nt .  "Without  faith  it 
i.-  ini|»o»il»le  to  ph-a-e  (iod."  (Heh.  xi.  <>.)  Fnoeh 
also,  the  .-eventh  from  Adam,  liad  this  testimony  that 
he  }>lea-ed  (ind.  (IIe!>.  xi.  5.)  He  must  havi,'  had 
faith  or  he  eould  not  liavc pleased  him.  He  aUo  walked 
with  (iod  three  hundred  years,  and  wa-  not,  lor  (iod 
took  him  ((ien.  v.  L'L\  J.'.,  24),  gave  him  eternal  lite, 
wliieh  is  Lriven  throu^li  the  ^o>|nd.  It  i-  written, 
"This  i>  life  eternal,  that  they  mi-lit  know  ther  the 
only  true  (  iod,  and  Jesus  Chri-t ,  whom  thon  ha-t  -eiit ." 
:m  xvii.  :i.)  I-Jioeh  re|»ente<l,  evaded  from  sin,  and 


10  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

"  walked  with  God."  All  have  sinned.  The  preacher 
said,  "For  there  is  not  a  just  man  upon  earth,  that 
doeth  good,  and  sinneth  not."  (Ec.  vii.  20.)  (See 
1  John  i.  8 ;  1  Kings  viii.  46.) 

Enoch  was  baptized,  for  Jesus  said,  "Except  a  man 
be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God."  (John  iii.  5.)  Again  :  "  He  that 
believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved."  Enoch  was 
taken  to  heaven  —  saved;  hence  he  must  have  been 
baptized. 

He  was  also  endowed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  prophe-* 
sied,  hence  it  is  not  unreasonable  that  he  should  have 
obeyed  the  ordinance  of  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.     (See  Acts  viii.  17  ;  Jude.)    ^ 

He  believed  also  in  the  second  coming  of  the  Saviour, 
the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  and  eternal  judgment : 

"  And  Enoch  also,  the  seventh  from  Adam,  prophesied  of 
these,  saying,  Behold,  the  Lord  cometh  with  ten  thousand  of 
his  saints,  to  execute  judgment  upon  all,  and  to  convince  all  that 
are  ungodly  among  them  of  all  their  ungodly  deeds  which  they 
have  ungodly  committed,  and  of  all  their  hard  speeches  which 
ungodly  sinners  have  spoken  against  him.  "^—  Jude  14,  15. 

Here  it  is  shown  in  consecutive  order  that  the 
ancients  believed  in  the  gospel  in  its  fulness,  as  set 
forth  by  Jesus  and  the  apostles,  —  in  the  doctrines  of 
faith,  repentance,  baptism,  the  laying  on  of  hands,  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  eternal  judgment,  in- 
cluding the  personal  coming  of  the  Saviour  to  judge  the 
world.  (Heb.  vi.  1,  2.)  Noah  "walked  with  God" 
(Gen.  vi.  9),  was  a  "preacher  of  righteousness." 
(2  Peter  ii.  5.)  Paul  says  the  "  righteousness  of  God  " 


AND   PKIKSTHOOD.  11 

is  revealed  in  the  gospel.     (Rom.  i.  17.)     Hence  Noah 

ii'iiM  have  emhraccd  and  preached  the  «ro<pel  system, 
l'\  which  he  condemned  the  world  before  the  flood, 
"wherein  tew,  th;it  i-,  ei^ht  souls  were  saved  by 
water."  ,1  Peter  iii.  20.)  "By  faith  Noah,  .  .  . 
moved  with  fear,  prepared  an  ark  to  the  saving  of  his 
house;  bj  the  which  ha  .  .  .  beO*meAe«r  Of  the  right- 
eousness \\  hi<-h  i-  )>y  faith. "  (  1 1. -I..  \  i. 

Further,  Paul    >ay- :    "  The  Script  lire,  loreseeini:  that 
\\onld  justify  the  heathen   throiiirh  faith,  preached 
before  the  gospel  unto  Abraham."    ((ial.  iii.  8.)      The 
•  •I  niu-t  ha\e  Keen  on  the   earth  at    that    time,  and 
e,  one  autlmri/ed,  )>y  the  contei-rinir  <>f  the   priest- 
hood, to  preach  it.      l*'or  it  i-  \\ritten:  — 

•  How  shall  they  believe  in  him  of  whom  they  have  not 
heard?  and  how  «hall  they  hear  without  a  preacher?  and 
how  shall  uch,  except  they  be  sent?"—  limn.  x.  11.  l~>. 

Abraham  heard,  brlirved.  and  olx^yed ;   and  became 
the  "heir  of  the  world"  Ky  the   ri^htetui-ness  which  is 
nth.      (I{nm.  iv.  :   dame,    ii.  L'n-iM.)       That  w  God 
\\oulil   jii-tity    t:  ien   throuirli    faith,"    i>   e<ju;il   to 

:iLr  of  Peter  at  the  household  of  ( 'orneliu>,  "  In 
y  nation  he  that  feareth  him,  and  worketh  right- 
eousness 9  is  accepted  with  him."  (Acts  x.  35.)  That 
5-,  none  were  to  he  excluded.  Peter  had  been  taught, 
under  tin;  law,  that  the  heathen  had  no  place  in  the 
l)ond  of  salvation  ;  hut  \\  hen  the  ;_:<>-)  u'l  was  recommitted, 
he  was  informed  that  it  was  for  all  nations.  "  In  every 
nation  he  that  feareth  God,  and  worketh  righteousness, 
i-  accepted  with  him/'  The  law  was  to  the  Jewish 


12  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

nation  ;  the  gospel  to  all  nations,  both  before  and  after 
the  law.  The  gospel  was  taught  to  Abraham,  and  he, 
being  converted  from  the  idolatry  of  his  fathers,  became 
identified  with  "the  priest  of  the  most  high  God" 
Melchisedec  (Gen.  xiv.  18;  Gal.  iii.  6;  James  ii.  23; 
Rom.  iv.  3-9)  ;  in  other  words,  with  the  people  of  the 
Lord.  The  priesthood  and  the  gospel  were  extant  at 
the  same  time. 

Again  Paul  says  :  — 

u  For  unto  us  was  the  gospel  preached,  as  well  as  unto  them 
[the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness]*  but  the  word  preached  did  not 
profit  them,  not  being  mixed  with  faith  in  them  that  heard  it." 
—  Heb.  iv.  2. 

There  was  a  church  established  in  the  wilderness. 
Moses  was  in  that  church.  "This  is  he,  that  was  in  the 
church  in  the  wilderness  with  the  angel  which  spake  to 
him  in  the  mount  Sina."  (Acts  vii.  38.)  They  be- 
lieved in  Christ,  It  is  written,  Moses  esteemed  "the 
reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures  in 
Egypt-"  (Heb.  xi.  26.)  The  Israelites  were  also  bap- 
tized. 

"  And  [they]  were  all  baptized  unto  Moses  in  the  cloud  and 
in  the  sea;  and  did  all  eat  the  same  spiritual  meat;  and  did  all 
drink  the  same  spiritual  drink;  for  they  drank  of  that  spiritual 
Rock  that  followed  them:  and  that  Rock  was  Christ."  —1  Cor. 
x.  2-4. 

This  accounts  for  the  conferring  of  the  priesthood  in 
the  time  of  Moses.  For  both  the  Melchisedec  and 
Aaronic  priesthoods  were  conferred  upon  the  ministry 
in  the  camp  of  Israel.  It  is  written,  "  Moses  and  Aaron 
among  his  priests."  (Ps.  xcix.  6.)  It  is  also  written 


AMD    rur.sTHOOD.  13 

concerning  Korak  l>athan,  ami  Ahiram,  that  they  \\eiv 
Levitesand  h:i<l  h.-eii  leleciedfor  the  >erviee  of  the  tah- 
ernaele  and  In  admini>ter  to  the  eon-iv-ai  ion.  (Num. 

;    a  No  iii.  -1  1 ,  and  viii.   1  1  ;    iK-u; 
In  Num.  \vi.   In  M<»es  i-  made  to  say  :  — 

"And  he  bath  brought  ll.  •>  him,  ami  all  thy  Ittvtlm  -n 

the  sons  of  Li'vi  with  tln-r  k  >«•  tin-  prirMlnuMl  also?" 

-'seek  ye  ih«   hiji  priesthood  also ?  "  —  Inspire d  Tru, 

Thi-  latti-r  rrndrriu-_r  i-  c\  idnilly  tin*  true  XMISC.     For 

.in,  and  AlMram  \\«-n-   aln-ady  separated   to 

the    sen  ami    held    the    les-er   or 

prie-thotnl,    hut    tliey   a-pir.-d    to   >till    higher 

honor-.      Tl  I  jeak>CI8 of  til6  high hoUOT  enu! erred 

upon  Moses,  and  sought  to  turn  the  congregation 

i  him.     Said  the\   to  M«»-r-  and  Aaron  :  — 

u  Ye  take  too  much  upon  you,  seeing  all  (he  congregation  are 
holy:  .  .  .  \\  ;ln-n  lift  \v  n:  tin-  con- 

gregation .id  ?  "  —  Num.  xv 

How  could  Moses  1x3  esteemed  M  above  or  over  them 

unle-s  he  lield  a  higher  priesthood  andolliee  than  they? 
MM-«--  \vould  not  permit  Aaron  to  he  included  with  him. 
Said  he,  "  And  what  is  Aaron,  that  ye  murmur  against 
him?"  (Num.  xvi.  11.)  This  is  equivalent  to  saying 
that  Aaron  did  not  hold  the  same  prie-t hood  that  Moses 
did,  hut  an  inferior  one.  He  held  the  highest  office  in 
the  prie-thood  Jo  \\hieh  Korah  and  Dathan  belonged, 
however  :  IK  me  th.-y  -.night  a  place  in  the  "high  priest- 
hood." MOM-S  h.'Id  the  higher  priolhood,  or  that  of 
MeK-hi-ed«-'-,  lor  lie  was  u  priest  and  officiated  at  the 


14  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

altar.     He,  moreover,  consecrated  Aaron  to  the  highest 
office  in  the  Aaronic  priesthood,  and  yet  he  was  supe- 
rior to  Aaron  and  presided  over  him.      This  could  not 
have  been  had  he  held  the  same  priesthood  in  kind. 
Again,  Moses  says  :  — 

"  The  Lord  thy  God  will  raise  up  unto  thee  a  Prophet  from 
me  midst  of  thee,  of  thy  brethren,  like  unto  me;  unto  him  ye 
shall  hearken."  — Deut.  xviii.  15. 

This  prophecy  refers  to  Christ.  The  phrase  "like 
unto  ine"  shows  that  they  held  a  like  priesthood,  au- 
thority, and  office,  and  were  both  lavv-givers.  Jesus 
was  a  high  priest  after  the  order  of  Melchisedec. 
Moses  to  have  been  "  like  unto  "  him  must  have  held 
the  same  priesthood.  It  was  this  honor  to  which  Korah 
and  Dathan  aspired,  —  the  highest  authority  and  the 
highest  seat.* 

Thus  it  has  been  shown  :  (1.)  That  previous  to  the 
advent  of  the  Saviour,  two  priesthoods  had  been  com- 
mitted, viz.,  the  Melchisedec  and  the  Aaronic;  that 
the  gospel  was  administered  by  the  authority  of  the 
Melchisedec  priesthood,  and  the  law  by  that  of  Aaron  ; 
that  the  priesthood  was  conferred  in  the  days  of  Adam, 
and  was  held  by  Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham,  and  Moses  ; 
and  that  the  Aaronic  priesthood  continued  with  the 
Jews  from  the  time  of  Moses  until  the  coming  of 
Christ.  It  is  claimed  at  least  that  the  line  was  an 
unbroken  one. 

(2.)  That  when  Abraham  was  blessed  of  Melchis- 
edec, Abraham  was  a  priest  and  accustomed  to  ad- 
minister at  the  altar.  This  he  could  not  have  do'ne 
acceptably  had  he  not  held  the  priesthood.  Melchise- 

*  Appendix  A. 


ri:KSIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  15 

dec  having  held  the  authority  to  bless  Abraham  shows 
him  to  have  been  the  greater  of  the  two,  and  proves 
the  existence  of  two  classes  of  priests  extant  at  that 
time.  Paul  says,  "Without  all  contradiction  the  less 
is  blessed  of  the  bettor"  (greater).  (Heb.  vii.  7.)  In 
the  same  chapter  he  affirms  that  the  authority  held  by 
Melchisedcc  is  without  beginning  of  days  or  end  of 
life. 

(3.)  That  (Jod  is  unchangeable  and  his  law  im- 
mutable ;  that  he  committed  the-et\\o  pric-t hoods  in 
ancient  times  for  the  purpose  of  authorizing  men  to 
administer  his  government  on  the  earth  ;  and  it  is  but 
legitimate  t«»  conclude  that  his  l;i\v  could  not  be  legally 
admini>teivd  without  them;  and  a-  \\  e  look  to  this 
-:ime  unchangeable  ( iod,  hyobc\ing  his  unchangeable 
laws  to  obtain  life,  it  is  plain  that  these  priesthoods 
should  exist  among  men  in  this  day,  that  religious  ob- 
BervaOOei  maybe  with  authority  and  acceptable.  As 
it  is  written  in  the  Kpi-tle  of  James,  chapter  one  and 
seventeenth  verse  :  "Every  good  gift  and  every  perfect 
gift  is  from  above,  and  comet h  down  from  the  Father 
of  lights,  with  whom  is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow 
of  turnitiLr." 


CHAPTER  III. 

POSITIONS  IN  THE  PRIESTHOOD  CANNOT  BE  A-SUMED  WITH  IMPU- 
NITY.—  THE  MELCHISEDEC  AND  THE  AARONIC  PRIESTHOODS 
WERE  CONFERRED  UPON  THE  CHRISTIAN  MINISTRY. 

MEN  in  no  age  that  we  read  of  could  assume  the 
positions  in  the  priesthood  with  impunity.  They  were 
powers  with  which  God  would  honor  whomsoever  he 
pleased,  and  blessings  followed  upon  the  head  of  the 
obedient  and  called.  Anathemas  and  chastisements 
overtook  the  haughty  assumer.  Hence  the  proud  and 
ambitious  Saul  lost  his  kingdom,  and  persistent  Uzziah 
was  smitten  with  leprosy  for  arrogating  the  powers  of 
the  sacred  offices  of  the  priesthood.  (1  Sam.  xiii.  9  ; 
2  Chron.  xxvi.  18.) 

Paul  says :  — 

"  No  man  taketh  this  honor  unto  himself,  but  he  that  is 
called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron.  So  also  Christ  glorified  not  him- 
self to  be  made  a  high  priest ;  but  he  that  said  unto  him,  Thou 
art  my  Son,  to  day  have  I  begotten  thee."  — Heb.  v.  4,  5. 

He  uses  this  language  in  vindication  of  the  right 
that  the  Saviour  had  to  officiate  in  the  priesthood, 
proving  thereby  that  he  was  not  an  usurper  of  author- 
ity, —  did  not  glorify  himself  to  be  made  a  high  priest 
by  assuming  the  right,  —  but  that  he  had  received  it  by 
div  ine  appointment. 

''As  he  saith  also  in  another  place,  Thou  art  a  priest  for 
ever  after  the  order  of  Melchisedec."  — Heb.  v.  6. 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  17 

This  language  was  used  by  Paul  in  order  to  put  to 
silence  those  who  were  disposed  to  question  the  divine 
call  and  appointment  of  the  Saviour  to  the  priesthood. 
His  letter  was  addre<M'd  to  the  Hebrews,  who  were 
skilled  in  the  Jewish  law  and  acknowledged  that  a  divine 
call  was  a  prerequisite  to  the  occupancy  of  the  priest's 
ollice.  Ileuee  it  is  affirmed  in  the  tenth  verse,  that  he 
(Christ)  was  ''called  of  God  a  \\\\i\\  priest  after  the 
order  of  Melchisedec." 

I  roin  the  evidences  cited  it  will  scarcely  be  ques- 
tioned that  the  Melchi<edcc  and  Aaronie  priesthoods, 
one  or  both,  were  iven^ni/ed  authorities  by  which 
the  people  of  God  rendered  an  acceptable  service 
durinir  the  time-  of  the  pat  riare!.>,  the  law,  and  the 
prophets  although  at  times  known  by  other  appella- 
tions. 

So  we  come  now  to  inquire  \\hetlier  either  or  both 
of  the>e  priesthoods  were  introduced  into  the  Christian 
dispensation. 

Chiist,  who  was  the  founder  of  the  Christian  system, 
field  the  Melchisedec  priesthood.  lie  was  also  the  chief 
Apostle  and  Hi-li  Prir-4  therein.  This  is  put  beyond 
all  question.  Hence  it  is  direct  proof  that  the  Melchis- 
edec priesthood  is  a  neee^ary  authority  in  preaching 
and  administering  the  <ro-pel  system;  for  Christ  did 
not  administer  the  rf  rites  and  ceremonies  "  of  the  law, 
but  came  "preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  of 
(iod."  (Mark  i.  14.)  If  he  could  have  preached  the 
no-pel  acceptably  without  the  priesthood,  why  was  it 
eonferred  upon  him?  Why  impose  upon  him  an  un- 
necessary thing?  If  Christ  could  not  preach  and 


18  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

administer  the  gospel  except  by  the  authority  of  the 
Melchisedec  priesthood,  can  others?  If  so,  who  are 
they,  and  how  did  they  find  it  out?  "To  the  law 
and  to  the  testimony  :  and  if  they  speak  not  according 
to  this  word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them." 

John  the  Baptist  held  the  Aaronic  priesthood.  In 
proof  of  this  I  cite  that  he  was  in  direct  line  of  that 
priesthood,  his  father  being  a  priest  and  his  mother  of 
the  daughters  of  Aaron.  (Luke  i.  15.)  He  was  a 
Nazarite  from  his  birth  (Luke  i.  15),  and  was  doubt- 
less consecrated  to  the  priesthood  as  he  was  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Lord,  being  a  "Nazarite." 

Back  at  Sinai,  God  said  :  — 

"  Now,  therefore,  if  ye  will  obey  my  voice  indeed,  and  keep 
my  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be  a  peculiar  treasure  unto  me 
above  all  people;  for  all  the  earth  is  mine: 

"  And  ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  kingdom  of  priests."  —  Ex.  xix. 
5,6. 

Whether  the  Israelites  ever  attained  to  a  realization 
of  the  full  meaning  of  this  promise  or  not,  it  is,  never- 
theless, a  fact  that  their  institution  was  invested  with 
an  authority  and  priesthood  that  even  kings  could  not 
intrude  themselves  or  disregard  with  impunity.  After 
Moses,  the  Aaronic  priesthood  was  the  authority  and 
strength  of  the  whole  Jewish  ecclesiasticism  or  king- 
dom. 

The  high  priest  standing  by  the  "  ark  of  the  cove- 
nant," with  the  "  urim  and  thummim  "  before  him,  was 
the  eyes  and  ears  and  mouth  of  the  famed  theocracy. 

The  priests  were  the  educators  of  the  people.  "  They 
[the  priests]  shall  teach  Jacob  thy  judgments,  and 


l'i;i>IM.\<  V     AND    rKILSTIlOOD.  19 

I-iael  thy  law."  (Deut.  xxxiii.  10.)  Upon  these  (the 
priesthood  and  the  law)  the  kingdom  of  Israel  was 
built.  (K\.  xix.  ">,  r>  ;  Deut.  xxxiii.  1-11  inclusive.) 
God  recoirm/.  d  the  line  in  which  the  priesthood  was  to 
l»e  transmitted  in  sending  his  an^el  to  Lr<><>d  old  Xaeha- 
ria<,  "while  he  executed  the  priest's  office  before  God 
in  the  order  of  his  course, "  as  seen  in  the  following:  — 

"There  was  in  the  days  of  Herod,  the  king  of  Judea,  a  cer- 
tain priest  named  Zach arias,  of  the  course  of  Al>ia:  and  his  wife 
was  of  the  daughters  of  Aaron,  and  her  name  was  Elisabeth. 

44  And  they  were  both  righteous  before  <;<><!,  walking  in  all  the 
OOmmandmeotfl  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blameless. 

And  they  had  no  child,  because  that    KIKibeth  was  barren: 
and  they  l»«,th  were  now  well  stricken  in  yd 

44  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  while  he  executed  the  priest's 
e.  before  (Ind  in  the  order  of  his  course, 

\ccording  to  the  custom  of  the  priest's  office,  his  lot  was  to 
lnmi  incense  when  he  went  into  the  temple  of  the  Lord. 

44  And  the  whole  multitude  of  the  people  were  praying  with- 
out at  the  time  of  incense. 

\nd  there,  appeared  unto  him  an  angel  of  the  Lord  stand- 
ing <>n  the  right  side  of  the  altar  of  incense. 

\ml   when  Zacharias  saw  him,  he  was  troubled,  and  fear 
fell  upon  him. 

••  lint  tin  aiiLrel  said  unto  him,  Fear  not,  Zacharias:  for  thy 
piayer  is  heard;  and  thy  wife  Elisabeth  shall  bear  thee  a  son, 
and  thou  shalt  call  his  name  John. 

44  And  thou  shalt  have  joy  and  gladness;  and  many  shall  re- 
joice at  his  birth. 

44  For  he  shall  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  shall 
drink  neither  wine  nor  strong  drink;  and  he  shall  be  filled  with 
the  Holy  (ihost,  even  from  his  mother's  womb. 

44  And  many  of  the  children  of  Israel  shall  he  turn  to  the 
Lord  their  God. 

41  And  he  shall  go  before  him  in  the  spirit  and  power  of 
Elias."  —  Luke  i.  5-17. 


20  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

This  priest  Zacharias  walked  "  in  all  the  command- 
ments and  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blameless,"  a  true 
representative  of  his  honored  tribe,  a  faithful  priest 
of  the  kingdom  of  Israel.  It  was  announced  that  his 
son,  yet  unborn,  should  be  the  "prophet  of  the  high- 
est," to  "go  before  him  [the  Lord]  in  the  spirit  and 
power  of  Elias." 

Elias  was  invested  with  the  priesthood,  —  was  an 
Aaronic  priest.  John  the  Baptist  to  come  in  his 
"spirit "and  "power*'  would  need  to  come  bearing 
the  same  priesthood  and  inspired  with  the  same  spirit. 
Hence  when  he  cried,  "Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand,"  and  the  people  gathered  unto  him, 
he  baptized  them  by  the  authority  of  the  inherited 
priesthood  which  had  been  conferred  upon  him,  and  at 
the  specific  call  and  direction  of  the  Almighty  to  go 
and  baptize.  (John  i.  6,  33.) 

By  the  authority  of  this  priesthood  Jesus  was  bap- 
tized, together  with  the  multitudes  that  came  to  John's 
baptism.  The  Jews  would  have  had  no  regard  for  John's 
preaching  and  baptism  had  they  not  believed  him  to 
have  been  an  accredited  representative  of  their  priest- 
hood. His  authority  was  questioned  by  none.  In  the 
persons  of  Jesus  and  John,  therefore,  there  were  repre- 
sented upon  the  shores  of  Jordan,  at  the  "beginning  of 
the  gospel, "the  Melchisedec  and  the  Aaronic  priesthoods, 
by  which  the  gospel  was  preached  and  administered. 

Further  :  Isaiah  says  that  while  the  "  old  wastes  "  are 
being  "  builded,"  and  the  "  former  desolations  repaired," 
the  "  ministers  of  our  God  "  are  to  be  named  the  "  priests 
of  the  Lord."  (Isa.  Ixi.  6.) 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  21 

This  is  predicted  to  take  place  in  the  Christian  dis- 
pen>ation,  dining  the  time  of  God's  "preparation."  At 
tli.il  time,  among  the  ministers  of  the  Lord,  there  are 
to  be  "priests."  If  they  be  Melchisedec  priests,  then 
we  have  further  proof  that  high  priests  of  that  order 
belong  to  the  Christian  institution.  If  Aaronic  priests 
are  intended,  then  the  Levitical  priesthood  belongs  with 
the  Christian  system,  the  very  tiling  ailinned  by  us. 
In  either  ca>e,  this  is  proof  that  the  priesthood  and 
prie-ts  I*. -lonir  to  the  Christian  institution. 

A  divine  call  was  an  es>ential  qualification  to  the 
occupying  of  the  office  of  the  piie-thood  in  olden 
timrs.  During  the  long  period  that  elapsed  from  Abel 
to  John  the  Hapti-t,  there  i-  no  rule  or  ecclesiastical 
precedent  permitting  >elf-con>t  ituted  ministers  ;  luit 
e\ery  case  of  usurpation  cited  met  with  reprimand 
and  positive  rejection.  Is  it  reasonable  to  conclude, 
therefore,  thai  (Jod  would  deviate  from  his  usual 
eour>e  of  four  thousand  years'  standing,  in  recom- 
mitting the  gospel  in  the  Saviour's  time?  Would  it 
not  be  most  unreasonable  to  believe  that  he  would  not 
act  like  himself,  follow  in  "the  old  paths,"  appoint 
whom  he  would  ? 

JCMIS  and  John  claimed  ///'•////?  appointment  and 
unfhority  for  their  missions.  Jesus  said,  "I  conic 
not  to  do  my  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sem 
me."  "The  Father  which  sent  me,  he  gave  me  a  com- 
mandment,  what  I  should  say,  and  what  I  should 
speak."  (John  xii.  49.)  Said  John  :  • — 

"  1 1(?  that  sent  me  to  baptize  with  water,  the  same  said  unto 
m< ,  Upon  whom  thou  shalt  see  the  Spirit  descending  and 


22  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

remaining  on  him,  the  same  is  he  which  baptizeth  with  the  Holy 
Ghost."  —  John  i.  33. 

u  There  was  a  man  sent  from  God,  whose  name  was  John." 
—  John  i.  G. 

The  first  ministers  who  preached  the  gospel  at  the 
opening  of  the  Christian  dispensation,  then,  did  not 
assume  the  authority  to  act ;  but  like  their  predeces- 
sors, Melchisedec,  Abraham,  Moses,  etc.,  they  were 
sent.  Jesus  was  "  called  of  God  a  high  priest  after 
the  order  of  Melchisedec."  (Heb.  v.  10.)  This  is 
irrefutable  proof  that  the  priesthood  was  in  the  church 
which  was  established  by  the  Saviour. 

If  it  be  held  that  Jesus  was  made  a  high  priest  in  order 
that  he  might  offer  the  last  sacrifice,  of  which  all  others 
had  been  the  type,  I  answer  that  this  could  have 
been  done  by  the  authority  of  "  the  priest's  office  "  in 
the  Levitical  priesthood,  which  was  then  extant ;  and 
there  were  priests  of  that  order,  the  descendants  of 
Aaron,  who  officiated  regularly  at  the  altar. 

High  priests  after  the  order  of  Melchisedec  have  a 
right  to  administer  in  and  confer  all  lower  orders  of 
priesthood.  This  is  shown  in  the  circumstance  of 
Moses,  who  was  a  priest  of  the  Melchisedec  order  and 
accustomed  to  officiate  at  the  altar,  conferring  the 
"priest's  office  "  upon  Aaron.  (Xum.  xvi.  ;  Ex.  xl.) 
It  would  appear,  then,  that  higher  authorities  officiat- 
ing in  lower  offices,  do  so  by  the  exercise  of  the  au- 
thority belonging  to  the  office  in  which  they  are 
acting,  the  less  being  included  in  the  greater. 

When  Jesus  began  to  form  a  ministry,  he  followed 
the  ancient  precedent ;  called  persons  to  offices  in  the 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  23 

priesthood,  and  set  them  apart  to  their  several  duties. 
So  we  read  :  — 

\nd  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  that  he  went  out  into 
a  mountain  to  pray,  an. I  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  (io<l. 
Ami  when  ii  w;i>  .lay,  ho  called  unto  him  his  disciples:  and  of 
them  he  chose  twelve,  whom  also  he  named  apostles/'  —  Luke 

vi.  IL\  1:;. 

Again  :  — 

"  lie  ordained  twelve  .  .  .  that  he  mi^ht  send  them  forth 
each."  —  Mark  iii.  1  1. 

They  were  elm-en,  named,  and  ordained  apostles. 
Why  ordain  them  ?  Why  not  send  them  without  an  ordi- 
nation? Ordination  is  the  contVrrinir  of  authority  upon 
an  individual  that  he  may  properly  perform  the  duties 
upon  which  he  is  sent.  Could  the  apostles  have  ac- 
rompli>lied  the  errand  upon  which  they  were  sent,  or 
even  have  been  sent,  without  an  ordination?  If  so, 
why  ordain  them  ?  Why  iro  through  a  useless  and  dead 
form?  To  argue  that  the  apostles  could  have  been  sent 
a>  competent  mini-ters  without  an  ordination,  is  to 
charge  ,Je-us  with  performing  a  work  of  no  validity, 
a  sham.  None  knew  better  than  he  what  was  neces- 
sary.  What  was  the  authority  to  which  the  twelve 
disciples  were  chosen  and  ordained?  The  Aaronic 
priesthood  ?  No.  Paul  said  :  — 

"  If  therefore  perfection  were  by  the  Levitical  priesthood, 
(for  under  it  the  people  received  the  law,)  what  further  need 
iraa  there  that  another  priest  should  rise  after  the  order  of  Mel- 
'•hi-e«lec,  and  not  be  called  after  the  order  of  Aaron?"  -  Heb. 
vii.  11. 

The  apostles  were  sent  to  preach  the  "perfect  law  of 


24  PRESIDENCY"   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

liberty," — "the  gospel,"  —  which  secured  eternal  life 
to  the  believers.  Jesus  ordained  them.  He  was  a 
high  priest  after  the  order  of  Melchisedec,  as  has  been 
shown,  and  it  is  logical  to  conclude  that  he  ordained 
the  twelve  apostles  to  offices  in  that  priesthood  which 
he  held,  as  they  were  to  preach  and  administer  the 
same  gospel.  There  is  no  such  office  in  the  Aaronic 
prie-thood  as  that  of  an  apostle  :  but  there  is  in  that  of 
the  Melchisedec  priesthood.  Paul  says,  "Inasmuch  as 
I  am  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  I  magnify  mine  office." 
(Rom.  xi.  13.)  Jesus  was  an  "Apostle  and  High 
Priest."  (Heb.  iii.  1.) 

"I  admit,"  says  the  objector,  "that  Jesus  held  the 
Melchisedec  priesthood,  which  was  necessary  to  his 
ministry,  but  I  do  not  believe  that  the  apostles  held  it." 
Query :  What  was  that  authority,  then,  which  was  con- 
ferred upon  the  apostles  when  Jesus  ordained  them  ? 
If  they  could  preach  the  gospel,  heal  the  sick,  admin- 
ister the  Spirit,  cast  out  devils,  etc.,  without  the  priest- 
hood, why  could  not  Jesus?  He  was  their  chief  in 
point  of  office  and  character.  Was  the  priesthood  of 
any  benefit  to  him?  If  not,  why  was  it  conferred  on 
him  ?  Evidently  it  was  the  authority  by  which  he  min- 
istered and  established  his  church.  The  apostles  were 
his  authorized  agents  in  preaching  the  gospel  and  building 
it  up.  They  too,  then,  must  have  held  a  like  authority. 

Jesus  said,  "As  thou  hast  sent  me  into  the  world, 
even  so  have  I  also  sent  them."  (John  xvii.  18.)  His 
Father  sent  him  into  the  world  holding  the  Melchisedec 
priesthood.  The  apostles,  to  be  sent  like  him,  must 
have  received  a  like  authority  or  priesthood. 


PRESIDENCY    AND    rUIKSTUOOD.  25 

in,  it   i-  written  :  -- 

"The  Lord  appointed  other  seventy  also,  and  sent  two  and 
:>H'ore  his  fact'."  —  Luke  x.  1. 

Luke  is  the  only  writer  who  mentions  the  sending  of 
the  M'vmty  :  and  he  does  not  say  that  they  were  or- 

dained  to  positions  in  the  priesthood,  hut  there  is  every 
iva- »n  to  believe  that  they  were  ordained,  and  that, 
too,  to  the  Melehisedec  order;  for  there  was  no  such 
ofliee  as  that  of  seventy  in  the  Levitical  priesthood. 
Then,  airain,  ti  -ily  po-se>sed  about  as  much 

poNNer  and  rLrht  aa  <lid  the  apo>tles.  They  went  forth 
two  and  two  and  preached  the  go>pel,  healed  the  sick, 
ea-t  out  devils,  and  were  given  authority  over  all  the 
power  of  the  enemy.  (Luke  x.  1-1JL) 

The  Saviour  gave  them  their  authority.  As  neither 
he  nor  the  apostles  could  engage  iii  the  ministry  until 

they  were  placed   in   positions    in  the  priesthood,  the 
ible  conclusion   is  that  none  others  could.     So  the 
seventy  were  ordained  al>o. 

To  put  the  question  beyond  all  controversy  that  the 
Christian  ministry  was  authorized  by  being  placed  in 
positions  in  the  priesthood,  we  have  but  to  refer  to  the 
language  of  Peter,  as  folloM's  :  — 

u  "i  as  lively  stones,  arc  luiilt  up  a  spiritual  house,  a 

holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to 
God  by  Jesus  Christ."  —  1  Peter  ii.  r,. 

Here  are  lively  stones,  a  spiritual  house,  a  HOLY  PRIEST- 
HOOD to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices.     Peter  is  a  false 
witness,  or  the  priesthood  was  given  to  the  Christian 
ministry.     It  would  be  folly  to  talk  of  a    priesthood 
•re  there  was  none  ;  and  where  there  was  a  priest- 


26  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

hood  there  was  a  priest's  office  and  a  priest.  When 
Jesus  was  appointed  chief  apostle  and  high  priest  in 
the  Melchisedec  priesthood,  he  had  attained  the  highest 
position  that  was  ever  conferred  upon  God's  ministry. 
Hence  the  term  "  royal  priesthood,"  or  kingly  authority. 
So  we  read  :  — 

"And  Melchizedek  king  of  Salem  brought  forth  bread  and 
wine :  and  he  was  the  priest  of  the  most  high  God.  And  he 
blessed  him,  and  said,  Blessed  be  Abram  of  the  most  high  God, 
possessor  of  heaven  and  earth."  —  Gen.  xiv.  18, 19. 

Dr.  William  Smith,  in  his  smaller  Dictionary  of  the 
Bible,  page  337,  says  :  — 

"  There  is  something  surprising  and  mysterious  in  the  first 
appearance  of  Melchisedec  and  the  subsequent  reference  to  him. 
Bearing  a  title  which  Jews  in  after  ages  would  recognize  as 
designating  their  own  sovereign,  bearing  gifts  which  recall  to 
Christians"  the  Lord's  supper,  this  Canaanite  crosses  for  a 
moment  the  path  of  Abram,  and  is  unhesitatingly  recognized 
as  a  person  of  higher  spiritual  rank  than  the  friend  of  God." 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  royal  son  of  David.  The  angel 
said  to  Mary  :  — 

"  The  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  him  the  throne  of  his  father 
David:  and  he  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  for  ever; 
and  of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end."  —Luke  i.  32,  33. 

u  When  the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  in  the  throne  of  his  glory, 
ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel."  —  Matt.  xix.  28.  (See  Matt.  xx.  21;  Luke  xxii.  28, 
29,  30.) 

Again,  speaking  of  the  saints  :  — 

"  And  hast  made  us  unto  our  God  kings  and  priests:  and  we 
shall  reign  on  the  earth."  — Kev.  v.  10.  (See  Rev.  i.  6:  xx.  6; 
xxii.  5.) 

How  could  saints   or  others   be   constituted  "kings 


1  i:i>IDl  Nrr   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  27 

ami   prir-N"   \\here  there  was  no  priesthood  or  royal 

authority?     Moses  was  "king  in  .Jeshurun,  when  the 

heads  of  the  people  and  the  tribes  of  Israel  were  gatli- 

l  together."      (I>eut.  \\.\iii.    5.)       Moses   in  oflieial 

>tamling  was  properly  a  type  of  Chri-t. 

The  prophets,  aNo,  h.ive  foretold  that  the  priesthood 
would  he  on  the  e;irth  during  the  great  preparatory 

vrork of preaohiog  tl  "-land  the  building  up  of 

the  ehureh  just   preceding  the    coining   of  the   Saviour, 

or  end  of  tin-  \\orld. 
,|t. 

44  Let  the  priests,  th<>  ministers  of  the  Lord,  weep  between 
the  porch  and  the  altar,  and  let  th«-m  say,  >pare  thy  people. 
1  will  send  you  corn, and  wine,  and  oil,  and  ye  shall  be  sat- 
isfied therewith:  :m<l  1  will  no  more  make  you  a  reproach  among 
the  hi-:iilu»n."  —  Jofl  li.  17,  19. 

Vnd  I  will  also  tak<-  of  thi-m  for  priests  and  for  Levites, 
saith  the  Lord."— Isa.  Ixvi.  -Jl. 

"  But  ye  shall  be  named  tin  l'ii«  sis  of  the  Lord:  men  pball 
call  you  ihc  Ministers  of  our  God."  Ki.  Ixi.  6. 

These  texts  have  reference  to  the  time  when  God 
>hall  redeem  the  land  of  Israel,  and  bring  hack  the 
captivity  of  his  people,  when  an  abundance  of  wine, 
corn,  and  oil  shall  be  given,  and  the  Israelitish  name 
he  no  more  detained  among  the  heathen.  At  that  time 
there  are  to  be  priests,  the  f'  ministers  of  God  " ;  and  if 
priest-,  then  priesthood  and  a  priest's  office.  This  i- 
yet  in  the  future.  Nothing  strange,  then,  that  it  is 
written  there  was  conferred  upon  Phincns  and  his  po>- 
terity  "the  covenant  of  an  everlasting  priesthood." 
(Num.  \.\v.  13.) 


28  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

Thus  holy  men  of  God  have  predicted,  "as  they 
were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,"  that  the  priesthood 
would  be  extant  in  the  Christian  dispensation,  and  of 
course  men  duly  appointed  to  fill  the  several  offices 
therein,  of  which  three  distinctions  have  been  shown, 
viz.,  that  of  the  chief  apostle  and  high  priest,  those  of 
the  twelve  apostles  and  the  seventy. 

As  confirmatory  evidence  upon  this  question,  I  cite 
the  testimony  of  the  Fathers,  some  of  whom  were  con- 
temporary with  the  apostles. 

Clement,  who  was  a  companion  of  Paul,  and  whose 
name  is  said  to  be  in  the  "book  of  life  "  (Phil.  iv.  3), 
wrote  to  the  church  at  Corinth  as  follows  :  — 

"  It  will  behoove  us  [Christians],  looking  into  the  depth  of 
divine  knowledge,  to  do  all  things  in  order,  whatsoever  our 
Lord  has  commanded  us  to  do.  He  has  ordained  by  his 
supreme  will  and  authority,  both  where  and  by  what  persons 
they  [the  sacred  services]  are  to 'be  performed.  For  the  CHIEF 
PRIEST  has  his  proper  office,  and  the  PRIESTS  their  proper 
place  is  appointed,  and  the  layman  is  confined  to  that  which  is 
commanded  to  laymen." 

"  St.  Clement  of  Rome,  and  St.  Jerome  (whom  especially  I 
cite  because  appealed  to  by  Our  opponents),  loth  concur  in 
speaking  of  the  order  of  the  Christian  ministry  under  the  very 
terms  of  high  priests,  priests,  and  Levites,  which  obtained  under 
the  Mosaic  dispensation."  —  The  Hon.  and  Rev.  A.  P.  EERCI- 
VILLK,  B.  C.  S. ,  Chaplain  in  ordinary  to  the  Queen,  in  his  u  Apol- 
ogy for  Apostolic  Succession."  Also  "  Christian  Antiquities/' 
by  Bingham,  Vol.  I.,  page  11. 

k-  What  Aaron  and  his  sons  were  among  the  Jews,  the  bishop 
and  his  presbyters  were  among  the  Christians."  —  ST.  JEROME. 

"  St.  Jerome,  who  will  be  allowed  to  speak  the  sense,  .  .  . 
says  that  both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  the  high  priests 
are  one  order,  the  priests  another,  and  the  Levites  another."— 
BINGHAM,  page  50. 


PRESIDi:\(  V     AM)    PRIESTHOOD.  29 

Of  the  "  chief  priests  "  he  says  :  — 

"  It  was  no  human  invention,  hut  an  original  settlement  of 
tin-  apostles  themselves,  which  they  made  by  divine  appoint- 
ment." AM,  page  ol. 

Again  :  — 

"Now  this  is  most    expressly  said  by  Theodoret,  that  he 
itius]   ivcrivrd  the  gift  of  the  hitjh  priesthood  from  the 
hand  of  the  great  Peter."  —  Page  00.     Also  Vol.  I.,  p.  ir,. 

Here  it  is  stated  that  not  only   was  the  Melchisedec 

prieMho,..!  conferred  on  the  (1hri>tian  ministry,  but  the 
Aaronic  or  Levitical  pri<  -tliood  al>o  ;  that  the  high 
pric-t  under  the  law  was  at  the  head  of  the  latter,  and 
the  bishop  occupied  its  chief  office  under  the  Christian 
order.  They  were  frequently  called  by  the  title  which 
obtained  under  the  law,  "the  very  terms  of  lu<jh  priests, 

and  Le\  ites." 

Says  Dr.  Smith,  Bible  Dictionary,  page  1646: 

*-In  the  mi-ail  linn-  the  old  name  had  acquired  a  new  significa- 
tion. The  early  writers  of  the  ( 'hristian  Church  applied  to  the  lat- 
ter hierarchy  and  gave  to  the  bishops  and  presbyters  the  title 
of  priests  that  had  belonged  to  the  sons  of  Aaron;  while  the 
deacons  are  habitually  spoken  of  as  Levites." 

(Page  ») 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  CHANGE  OF  THE  LEVITICAL  PRIESTHOOD  FROM  DUTIES  UNDER 
THE  LAW  TO  SERVICES  IN  THE  GOSPEL  SYSTEM. — IT  is  IN- 
FERIOR TO  THE  MELCHISEDEC  PRIESTHOOD.  —  THE  OFFICES  IN 
THE  PRIESTHOOD  ARE  PERPETUAL,  THE  OCCUPANTS  TRANSI- 
TORY.—  THEY  WERE  FILLED  BY  DlVINE  APPOINTMENT  IN  THIS 

CHRISTIAN  DISPENSATION.  —  PROVISION  ix  THE  PRIESTHOOD 
FOR  APOSTLES,  SEVENTIES,  HIGH  PRIESTS,  PROPHETS,  ELDEHS, 
BISHOPS,  PRIESTS,  TEACHERS,  AND  DEACONS.  —  THE  NEW 
TESTAMENT  THE  STANDARD  OR  TEST  BY  WHICH  ALL  RELI- 
GIOUS DENOMINATIONS  SHOULD  BE  TRIED,  AND  THOSE  FOUND 

NOT  TO  BE  IN  HARMONY  WITH  THIS  PATTERN  SHOULD  BE 
REJECTED. 

THE  Apostle  Paul  informs  us  that  the  Melchisedec 
priesthood  is  "unchangeable."  From  this  it  is  implied 
that  there  is  one  susceptible  of  change  in  some  sense  ; 
and  as  we  read  of  but  two,  this  one  must  be  the 
Aaronic  priesthood.  The  change  could  not  consist  in 
a  transition  from  one  to  the  other ;  for  this  would  indi- 
cate a  change  in  both.  Neither  would  it  do  to  say  that 
the  change  consisted  in  the  abrogation  of  one  and  the 
creation  of  the  other  at  will.  That  would  simply  be  one 
superseding  the  other  without  any  necessary  change. 

Some  have  speculated  that  Paul  meant  to  convey  by 
this  statement  that  the  Aaronic  priesthood  ceased  by 
limitation  —  was  abrogated  —  and  the  Melchisedec  took 
its  place.  Still  others,  that  it  was  changed  from 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  31 

duties  under  the  l;i\v  to  those  under  the  gospel.  But 
neither  of  these  positions  is  the  correct  one,  although 
it  is  granted  th:it  the  Aaronie  priesthood  was  trans- 
ferred or  changed  from  duties  under  the  I  a  \v  to  services 
in  the  Christian  church. 

Paul  irM  reasoning  with  tliose  holding  Jewish  ideas, 
former  adherents  (A'  the  .lewi-h  law,  who  were  not  will- 
ing to  accept  fully  the  idea  that  the  <jo*pel  was  to  sup- 
plant or  take  the  place  of  their  lonir-cherished  system 
of  worship  which  was  administered  by  the  Levitical 
prieMhood:  hence  he  quoted  fr<»m  David  to  show  that 
another  order  of  prie-t-  \\.i-  to  arise,  who  would  hold 
a  different  priesthood  from  that  held  by  Aaron,  and 
from  this  he  arirues  the  neco^ity  for  the  giving  of  an- 
other law.  For  why  jrive  another  priesthood  to  admin- 
ister the  existing  law,  as  there  were  priests  then  who 
were  dischaririu.LT  that  duty?  He  says  :  — 

"  It  is  yet  far  more  evident-  for  that  after  the  similitude  of 
Melchisedec  there  ariseth  another  priest,  who  is  made,  not  after 
the  law  of  animal  ( <>mmandraeat,  but  after  the  power  of  an 
endless  life."  — Heb.  vii.  15, 16. 

It  was  easier  for  Paul  to  prove  the  arising  of  a  Mel- 
chisedec priest  than  the  giving  of  a  new  law,  and  he 
makes  this  the  basis  of  his  argument  and  goes  on  to 
show,  and  logically  too,  the  necessity  for  the  giving  of 
another  law.  Hence,  with  his  profound  reasoning,  he 
could  force  the  objector  to  accept  a  belief  in  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  new  law  other  than  that  given  by 
Moses,  either  at  that  or  some  future  time. 

While  this  is  true  and  the  Melchisedec  is  shown  to  be 
the  '"unchangeable"  priesthood,  it  is  implied  by  the 


32  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

statement  that  the  Aaronic  priesthood  is  in  some  sense 
changeable.  This  change,  it  is  easy  and  reasonable  to 
conclude,  consists  in  its  being  adaptable  and  transfer- 
able from  one  service  to  another.  Hence  it  was  brought 
over  or  transferred  from  the  peculiar  service  and  de- 
mands under  the  law  of  Moses,  to  take  its  place  in  the 
administration  of  certain  ordinances  and  minor  duties 
to  be  observed  in  the  system  of  worship  and  church 
government  established  by  Christ. 

But  as  this  is  strongly  controverted  by  our  opponents, 
for  their  benefit  the  discussion  of  the  question  is  here 
extended. 

As  has  been  proved,  John  the  Baptist  being  in  the 
line  of  the  Levitical  priesthood,  he  represented  in  person 
that  authority,  or  the  Jewish  Levitical  kingdom  proper, 
as  the  forerunner,  preparing  the  way.  For  by  inher- 
itance the  Aaronic  priesthood  was  invested  in  him  of 
right,  as  that  of  Melchisedec  was  in  Christ. 

A  new  era  had  dawned.  A  new  order  of  things  was 
to  be  established.  The  old  covenant  was  to  be  dis- 
placed by  the  new.  For  three  years  John  and  Jesus 
and  the  apostles  were  preparing  the  people  for  this 
transition  or  change.  The  "  beginning  of  the  gospel  " 
sounded  the  alarm  in  the  words,  "Repent,  for  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  is  at  hand."  The  time  had  come  for 
ff  blotting  out  the  handwriting  of  ordinances  that  was 
against  us,  which  was  contrary  to  us,  and  took  it  out 
of  the  way,  nailing  it  to  his  cross"  (Col.  ii.  14),  and 
erecting  instead  thereof  "a  spiritual  house  [or  king- 
dom], a  holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices, 
acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ." 


PRESIDENCY    AM)   J'i;i  I  STHOOD.  33 

The  Jews  were  rebellious*    Their  ears  were  closed,  and 

they  refused  to  hear  the  "  voice  of  the  good  Shepherd." 

"  Therefore  say  I  unto  you,  The  kingdom  of  God  shall  he 
tiik.-ii  from  you,  :m<l  iriven  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the  fruits 
thereof.99— Matt  x.\i.  43. 

A  new  nation  was  to  be  born;  M  new  kingdom  set 
up.  All  the  authority  and  exeellenees  attaching  to  the 
old  Levitieal  "kingdom  of  i>riests  "  were  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  new  kingdom.  Divested  of  its  ]>ower  and 

life,   the    old    eea>ed    from    necessity.       The    new  had    its 

inception  in  the  hapti-m  of  John.  Here  is  where  the 
AarODlO  priesthood  be^an  to  be  changed  from  services 
under  the  old  covenant  to  the  admmi-t  ration  of  services 
under  the  new.  The  old  was  to  l»<>  ''abolished."  In 
the  new  kingdom  or  ehureh  were  blended  a<rain,  as  in 
t'he  times  of  Moses,  Abraham,  and  Melehisedec,  the 
Melehisedec  and  Aaronie  priesthoods,  in  the  persons  of 
.Ir-us  and  the,  f'  Klias,"  or  John  (he  l>apti>t.  A  new  in- 
>;itution,a  DCW service,  and  a  new  covenant  v/erc  intro- 
duced. "He  taketh  away  the  first,  that  he  may  estab- 
li-li  the  second."  (Heh.  x.  (J.) 
Wherefore  it  is  written:  — 

"This  is  the  covenant  that  I  will  make  with  them  after  those 
days,  saith  the  Lord:  I  will  put  my  laws  into  their  hearts,  and  in 
tln-ir  minds  will  J  write  them."  —  Heb.  x.  1(5.  (See  Jer.  xxxi. 
31-34.) 

So  Paul  wrote  :  'f  For  if  tfcat  which  is  done  away  was 

Lrlorious,  much  more  that  which  remaineth  is  glorious." 
(2  Cor.  iii.  11.) 

Again:  "Hath  made  us  able  ministers  of  the  new 
testament."  (Verse  6.) 


34  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

This  new  covenant  was  to  be  as  enduring  as  that  of 
day  and  night.  "Priests"  and  " Levites "  were  to  be 
the  "ministers"  of  God  under  it;  and  "David  shall 
never  want  a  man  to  sit  upon  the  throne  of  the  house 
of  Israel."  (Jer.  xxxiii.  17.) 

This  was  predicted  as  the  order  of  things  to  obtain 
under  the  Christian  system,  "priests"  and  "Levites" 
were  to  form  a  part  of  the  spiritual  building.  Christ, 
who  is  both  King  and  Priest,  is  heir  of  the  world. 
While  he  reigns  upon  the  throne  of  his  father  David, 
his  saints  will  reign  as  "  kings  and  priests  "  with  him. 
(Rev.  i.  6.)  Even  in  the  millennium  "they  shall  be 
priests  of  God  and  of  Christ,  and  shall  reign  with  him 
a  thousand  years."  (Rev.  xx.  6.) 

Further :  — 

"  And  when  he  was  demanded  of  the  Pharisees,  when  the 
kingdom  of  God  should  come,  he  answered  them  and  said,  The 
kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with  observation:  neither  shall 
they  say,  Lo  here  !  or,  lo  there!  for,  behold,  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  within  you  " ;  or  as  it  reads  in  the  margin , c  c  among  you . ' ' 
—  Luke  xvii.  20,  21. 

Paul  wrote:  "The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  in  word, 
but  in  power."  (1  Cor.  iv.  20.) 

The  gross  minds  of  the  Pharisees  could  not  perceive 
anything  but  a  showy  political  kingdom.  They  were 
looking  for  one  of  that  character,  and  of  great  strength 
just  suited  to  their  vanity. 

But  Jesus  disabused  their  minds  regarding  it,  by 
declaring :  "The  kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with  ob- 
servation :  .  .  .  behold,  the  kingdom  of  God  is  within 
[among]  you."  It  was  to  be  in  "power,"  not  in  a 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  35 

political  sense,  but  in  a  spiritual  and  authoritative 
sense. 

It  had  been  with  Israel,  in  part,  from  the  ratification 
of  the  covenant  and  the  setting  up  of  the  Levitical  ser- 
vice under  Moses,  until  the  "Ellas,"  who,  as  an  ambas- 
sador from  God,  clothed  with  the  authority  of  the 
Aaronic  priesthood,  became  a  legal  representative  of 
the  eccleMa>tieaI  power  or  kingdom  of  the  Jews,  their 
order  and  polity,  the  grandest  representative  of  that 
authority  of  his  time. 

But  the  Jewish  priests  would  not  receive  hi<  message  ; 
yet  the  priesthood  or  power  which  he  represented 
pri-mcatcd  the.  whole  order  of  their  worship,  at  least  at 
the  Ix-irinninir,  without  which  it  had  not  been,  and  could 
not  be. 

The  MeKhisedec  priesthood  was  represented  in  the 
per>on  of  Chri>t.  Both  Jesus  and  John  were  debtors 
to  the  law.  "One  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise 
pass  from  the  law  till  all  be  fulfilled."  (Matt.  v.  18.) 
In  God's  economy,  the  Jews  as  a  nation  were  first 
favored.  It  was  their  right  and  privilege  to  hold  on  to 
and  possess  all  the  authority  and  power  of  an  inherited 
priesthood,  with  the  further  privilege,  as  the  full  time 
had  come,  of  receiving  the  Melchisedec  priesthood, 
also,  in  the  personage  of  Jesus  Christ,  with  all  the 
blessings  that  it  might  bring  to  them  as  a  people  by 
the  setting  up  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  But  they  put 
the  chief  High  Priest  from  them.  He  came  unto  his 
own,  but  his  own  received  him  not.  They  said,  "His 
blood  be  on  us,  and  on  our  children." 

Jesus  declared,  because  they  rejected  his  message, 


36  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

"Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate." 
(Matt,  xxiii.  38.)  Their  cup  of  iniquity  was  full. 

Jesus,  with  his  disciples,  standing  in  the  midst  of 
the  Jews,  represented  the  Melchisedec  and  the  Aaronic 
priesthoods,  upon  one  or  the  other  of  which,  or  both, 
rested  both  the  Jewish  and  Christian  institutions,  Ihe 
old  and  new  covenants,  now  tendered  solely  to  the 
descendants  of  Abraham,  if  they  would  but  receive  it. 
But  they  rejected  the  offer  and  their  King,  and  Jesus 
announced,  "The  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken  from 
you,  and  given  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the  fruits 
thereof." 

Paul  said,  "  Seeing  ye  judge  yourselves  unworthy  of 
eternal  life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the  Gentiles."  The  priest- 
hood was  transferred.  The  Jewish  house  went  down  ; 
and  the  kingdom  of  God  was  given  to  the  Gentiles. 
Israel  "stumbled  at  that  stumbling  stone." 

Says  Dr.  Smith  on  this  point :  — 

"From  the 'illustrations  adopted  by  St.  Paul  in  his  epistles, 
we  have  additional  light  thrown  upon  the  condition  of  the 
church.  Thus  (Rom.  xi.  17)  the  Christian  church  is  described 
as  being  a  branch  grafted  on  the  already  existing  olive-tree, 
showing  that  it  was  no  new  creation,  but  a  development  of  that 
spiritual  life  which  has  flourished  in  the  patriarchal  and  the 
Jewish  church."  —  Bible  Dictionary,  Yol.  I.,  page  454. 

Belonging  to  these  two  divisions  of  power  in  the 
Christian  system  there  were  the  superior  and  inferior 
grades  of  office,  ranging  all  the  way  from  those  of  the 
highest  spiritual  functions  to  those  that  but  "  served 
tables."  Paul  asks,  "Are  all  apostles?  are  all  proph- 
ets? are  all  teachers ?"  (1  Cor.  xii.  29.)  Of  course 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  37 

not.  "The  twelve  called  the  multitude  of  the  disci- 
ple- unto  them,  and  said,  It  is  not  reason  that  we 
shouhf  leave  the  word  of  God,  and  serve  tables." 
(Acts  vi.  2.)  This  is  to  >ay,  that  while  the  apostles 
niiirht  serve  tables,  it  was  not  "reason'*  that  they 
should,  \\hen  they  had  higher  and  more  responsible 
duties  to  do,  which  others  could  not  do.  So  the 
>aid  :  — 


H  Look  ye  out  amonir  v«»u  si  v<  n  mm  <»f  hom-st  report,  full  of 
the   Holy  <;h«>-t   and  wisdom,  whom  w*«  may  appoint  over  this 

IHIMIH-S-."        Arts  . 

When  they  were  Delected  they  were  "set  before  the 
apostle-:  an  I  when  they  had  prayed,  they  laid  their 
hand-  on  them."  (Verso  (}.)  The  laying  on  of  hands 
\\.i-  to  confer  authority  upon  these  persons,  by  which 
they  were  enabled  to  act.  If  it  had  been  the  Melchisedec 
priesthood  that  was  conferred,  their  duties  would  have 
been  very  similar  to  that  of  the  apo-tles,  vi/.,to  preach 
"the  word  of  God."  I'ut  it  wa-  to  administer  a  daily 
routine,  a  temporal  Service,  ju-t  tliat  kind  of  service 
that  was  admini>tered  by  tlu^  Aaronic  priesthood  under 
the  law.  For  the  "first  covenant  had"  ordinances, 
"a  tabernacle,"  "wherein  was  the  candlestick,  and 
table,  and  the  shewbread."  "When  these  things 
were  thus  ordained,  the  priests  went  always  into  the 
tir-t  tabernacle,  ...  in  which  were  offered  both  gifts 
and  sacrifice-,  .  .  .  which  stood  only  in  meats  and 
drinks,  and  divers  washings,  and  carnal  ordinances." 
(Heb,  i.\.  1,  -2,  6,  0,  10.) 

This  service*  was  administered  by  the  Aaronic  priest- 
hood.     It   was  a  daily  round.     This  authority  could 


38  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

administer  a  similar  service  under  the  gospel  plan  — 
"  serve  tables." 

The  service  of  the  "  worldly  sanctuary,"  which  "  was 
a  figure  "of  the  true  (Heb.  ix.  9),  was  committed  unto 
Aaron  and  his  sons.  Between  this  authority  and  that 
held  by  Moses  there  was  a  marked  distinction  of  power 
and  privilege  and  glory,  that  of  Moses  excelling.  So 
we  read  that  — 

"  Miriam  and  Aaron  spake  against  Moses,"  and  said,  "  Hath 
the  Lord  indeed  spoken  only  by  Moses?  hath  he  not  spoken 
also  by  us?  And  the  Lord  heard  it."  — Num.  xii.  1,  2.  u  And 
he  said,  Hear  now  my  words  :  If  there  be  a  prophet  among 
you,  I  the  Lord  will  make  myself  known  unto  him  in  a 
vision,  and  will  speak  unto  him  in  a  dream.  My  servant 
Moses  is  not  so,  who  is  faithful  in  all  mine  house.  With  him 
will  I  speak  mouth  to  mouth,  even  apparently,  and  not  in  dark 
speeches;  and  the  similitude  of  the  Lord  shall  he  behold."  — 
Num.  xii.  C,  7,  8. 

After  Moses  had  set  Aaron  apart  to  the  chief  seat  in 
"the  priest's  office,"  or  Levitical  priesthood,  to  admin- 
ister in  "the  worldly  sanctuary,"  the  higher  authority, 
that  which  chiefly  administers  in  spiritual  things,  by 
which  men  are  brought  nigh  unto,  and  in  communion 
writh  God,  remained  with  Moses. 

Hence  we  read  :  — 

"  Gather  unto  me  seventy  men  of  the  elders  of  Israel,  whom 
thou  knowest  to  be  the  elders  of  the  people,  and  officers  over 
them;  and  bring  them  unto  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation, 
that  they  may  stand  there  with  thee. 

"  And  I  will  come  down  and  talk  with.thee  there:  and  I  will 
take  of  the  spirit  which  is  upon  thee,  and  will  put  it  upon  them; 
and  they  shall  bear  the  burden  of  the  people  with  thee." 

"  And  the  Lord  came  down  in  a  cloud,  and  spake  unto  him, 
and  took  of  the  spirit  that  was  upon  him,  and  gave  it  unto  the 


ri;l>IDI.N(  V    AND    PKIKSTHOOI).  3D 

seventy  elders:  and  it  came  to  pass,  that,  when  the  spirit  rested 
upon  thrin,  they  prophesied,  and  did  not  cease."  —  Num.  xi. 

Tim-  it  is  shown  that  Moses  and  tin*  seventy  elders 
were  associated  together  in  the  ir»venmient  of  the 
church  in  the  wilderness,  in  an  authority  higher  and 
M-p.-uMte  fn»m  that  which  wa-  e. inferred  upon  Aaron 
and  his  sons. 

A  — umin'_r,  a-  h:i-  l>.-eii  pr«>\  .-d,  that  Mo-e-  held  the 
Melchisedec  priesthood  and  the  ">e\enty  ciders"  to 
hav.-  directly  associated  with  him,  connects  the 

otlice  of  elder  \\ith  the  Melchiscdec  authority.  This 
N\as  the  rnlinir  authority.  The  priesthood  of  Aaron  \\as 
inferior  to  it  in  power  and  importance.  Indeed  the 
baser  priesthood  it  \\ould  seen  ua-  imt  an  "append- 
age" ti>  th«  rone.  It  was  to  hear  a  necessary 
part,  howrv.-r,  in  the  e>tal)li>hed  ser\  i. 

In  \iew  nf  th. •-«•  fiietas  there  is  nothing  surprising  in 
following  statement  of  Mu>es  regarding  Aaron,  on 
an  occasion  when  a  test  of  authority  was  to  he  made  : 
"And  \\h:it  i-  Aaron,  that  ye  innrmnr  against  him?s 
!!<•  w;i>  of  inferior  rank.  Well  miirlit  Mo>es  also  speak 
of  the  Lrrr;it  prophet  of  the  future:  — 

"  The  Lord  thy  God  will  raise  up  unto  thee  a  Prophet  from 
the  mi«l>t  of  thee,  of  thy  brethren,  like  unto  me." 

Hence  in  tho  c^tahlish'mg  of  the   "spiritual  house,*1 
:Ier  up  "spiritual   >aerifices"  under  the  new  cove- 
nant, hy  which  men  were  permitted  to 

"come  unto  mount  Sion,  and  unto  the  city  of  the  living  God; 
Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innumcrahle  company  of 
angels,  to  the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  firstborn 


40  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

which  are  written  in  heaven,  and  to  God  the  Judge  of  all,  and 
to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  and  to  Jesus  the  medi- 
ator of  the  new  covenant  "  (Heb.  xii.  22,  23  24), 

it  was  necessary  that  it  be  endowed  with  all  the 
authority  and  power  belonging  to  God's  order  of  gov- 
ernment in  former  ages.  So  that  it  is  written  of  the 
Master  of  this  house,  the  chief  Architect  of  this  build- 
ing, "  Thou  art  a  priest  forever  after  the  order  of  Mel- 
chisedec," holding  the  "royal  priesthood,"  like  unto 
Melchisedec  and  Moses,  by  which  the  saints  are  made 
"  kings  and  priests." 

The  Melchisedec  and  Aaronic  priesthoods  constituted 
the  authority  under  the  new  covenant  as  well  as  under 
the  old,  in  the  time  of  Moses,  and  their  duties  are  sep- 
arate and  distinct,  each  having  its  proper  service.  Hence 
the  apostles  left  the  "serving  of  tables"  and  attended 
to  preaching  "the  word  of  God."  Paul  says,  "Christ 
sent  me  not  to  baptize,  but  to  preach  the  gospel  " 
(1  Cor.  i.  17),  showing  that  others  might  and  did  dp 
that  work. 

That  the  Aaronic  priesthood  was  conferred  upon  the 
Christian  ministry,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Melchisedec, 
may  further  be  shown  from  the  distinction  of  authority 
and  office  held  by  them,  and  the  testimony  of  the 
prophets  and  early  Fathers,  already  cited. 

Philip  could  preach  the  gospel  and  baptize  persons, 
but  he  could  not  or  did  not  lay  on  hands  for  the  obtain- 
ing of  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  baptized  a  large  number 
at  Samaria;  but  Peter  and  John  laid  hands  on  them 
for  the  receiving  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  (Acts  viii.  14, 
15,  16.)  Peter,  John,  and  Ananias  could  lay  on  hands, 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  41 

hut  it  seems  Philip  could  not.  (Acts  ix.  12,  17.)  This 
i  dieates  a  distinction  of  authority  in  the  church,  and 
that  among  the  ministry.  Elders  could  lay  on  hands 
(James  v.  14)  ;  hence  Philip  must  have  hell  an  inferior 
office  to  tin-;  and  as  it  has  been  shown  that  the  office 
of  filer  ua>  intimately  connected  with  the  Meiehise- 
dec  priesthood,  or  belonged  to  it,  in  the  time  of  Moses, 
—  and  >o  far  as  any  evidence  appears,  i-  the  inferior 
office  in  that  priesthood,  —  it  follows  that  Philip  be- 
loiiLred  to  the  Aaron ie  priesthood.  The  elders  gov- 
erned with  M»>-«'-  in  the  wilderness,  so  under  the 
gospel,  Paul  Bftya  to  the  elder-  at  Kphesu^  : — 

"  Take  heed  therefore  unto  yourselves,  and  to  all  the  flock, 
over  the  which  tin-  Holy  <  .host  hath  made  you  overseers,  to  feed 
tin-  clunvli  of  God." —  Acts  xx.  28. 

They  governed  and  could  lay  on  hands;  Philip 
could  preaeh  and  hapti/e.  This  was  true  of  John  the 
Haptist.  Ho  could  preaeh  and  bapti/e,  and  point  to 
the  "Lamb  of  (iod  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world."  But  there  i-  no  instance  given  that  he  laid  on 
hands  for  the  reception  of  the  Spirit.  There  is  a  strik- 
inir  similarity  between  the  administrations  of  Philip  and 
John  the  liaptiM  :  sufficient,  indeed,  to  incline  one  to 
tin-  belief  that  they  held  the  same  priesthood  in  kind. 

In  view  of  this  distinction  of  office  found  among  the 
Christian  mini-try,  there  is  nothing  remarkable  in  the 
>tat»imeut  made  by  St.  Jerome,  that  "What  Aaron 
and  his  sons  w<  iv  among  the  Jews,  the  bishop  and  his 
presbyters  were  among  the  Christians";  or  that  of 
Thendoret,  "That  he  [Ignatius]  received  the  gift  of 
the  high  priesthood  from  the  hand  of  the  g|4at  Peter." 


42  PRESIDENCY   AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

Dr.  Smith  classes  the  offices  of  bishop  and  elder 
nearly  together,  as  being  of  about  equal  or  equivalent 
authority.  And  this  is  true  of  the  office  of  a  seventy 
and  elder.  He  denies,  also,  that  bishops  anciently 
held  that  presiding  authority  over  the  ministry  that  is 
accorded  to  them  in  modern  times.  He  says  :  — 

"  It  is  clear  from  what  has  been  said,  that  episcopal  func- 
tions, in  the  modern  sense  of  the  words,  as  implying  a  special 
superintendence  over  the  ministers  of  the  church,  belonged 
only  to  the  apostles  and  those  whom  they  invested  with  theii 
authority."  —  Bible  Dictionary,  page  76. 

Again  :  — 

"  With  St.  John's  death,  the  apostolic  college  was  extin- 
guished, and  the  apostolic  delegates  or  angels  [presidents  of 
churches]  were  left  to  fill  their  places  in  the  government  of  the 
church,  not  with  the  full  unrestricted  power  of  the  apostles, 
but  with  an  authority  only  to  be  exercised  in  limited  districts. 
In  the  next  century  we  find  these  officers  bore  the  name  of 
bishops,  while  those  who  in  the  first  century  were  called  indif- 
ferently presbyters  or  bishops,  had  now  only  the  title  of  pres- 
byters." —  Bible  Dictionary,  page  99. 

This  shows,  as  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Smith,  that  in  the 
primitive  church  the  offices  of  bishop  and  elder  were 
not  far  removed  from  each  other. 

Although  the  offices  in  the  priesthood  of  the  Chris- 
tian church  may  be  in  some  respects  indiscriminately 
presented,  the  order  appears  to  have  been  about  as  fol- 
lows :  (1.)  The  office  of  "  the  apostle  and  high  priest." 
(2.)  That  of  the  twelve  apostles.  (3.)  The  seventy. 
Then  followed  that  of  high  priests,  bishops,  elders, 
evangelists,  pastors,  teachers,  deacons,  etc.,  in  their 
proper  order.  (Heb.  iii.  1 ;  Eph.  iv.  11 ;  Matt.  x. ; 


1'KKMM .\<  V    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  43 

Luke  \.  :  1  Tim.  iii.  '2:  Titu>  i.  7;  Phil.  i.  1  ;  1  Tim. 
iii.  1  ;  Aeta  i.  -'<>;  1  Tim.  iii.  10;  1  <  W.  xii.  L'S,  dr., 
with  historical  citation-  -iven.)  Neither  is  it  a  proper 
\ie\v  h»  take  that  </// the  office^  that  \\nv  known  in  the 
church  are  >|>cntirally  spoken  of  in  t  lie  New  Testament, 
••:ii  to  ha\  r  Ix-m  Init  incidentally  ine'itionet]  ; 
tint  i-,  ainonir  the  less  important  01  ci.illy. 

These    office-     \\n  •  •M:iUi>he<l    hy    the 

Almighty  in  thr  prii-th«»o<I,  to  i-  -rcupant-  for  the 

;  mnent    ami  Lrni«lanrr  of  the  churcho.     The  several 

or.-upants    took    th(^    name    of  tin*    nlli.-r    to  which    they 

were   assigned.     Th.-    m-titutiou  hein^  of  God,  it  de- 

vel\«-.!   upon  him    {^   appoint  \\h»m  he  \\onhl  to  occupy 
them,  the  same  as  under  the  old  unent.      \o  one 

to    him-elf  thc-r    functions 

tlicr.        Hclire    it    I-    \\  ritteli  :  

••  As  God  hath  distributed  to  rvrry  mail,  as  tin-  L<»id  hath 
called  every  one,  6<>  l«-t  him  walk.  Ami  so  ordain  I  in  all  th* 
.•luMvhes."—  1  Cor.  vii.  17. 

44  (  .:nlrinu^  says  that  John,  visiting  the  nriirh- 

horing  regions  about  Kph«  -us,  onlaim-d  tln-m  bi>hojis,  and  set 
apart  Mirh  men  for  the  clergy  as  were  signified  hy  the  Holy 
NGHAM'S  Christian  Antiquities,  Vol.  I.,  page  11. 
<«od  hath  set  some  in  the  church,  first  apostles,  second- 
prophets,  thirdly  teachers,"  etc.  — 1  Cor.  xii.  28. 

Again  :  — 

4 *  Take  heed  therefore  unto  yourselves,  and  to  all  the  il«u-k. 
the  \\hich  the  Holy  (ihost  hath  in:wle  you  overseers."  — 

28. 
No  man  taketh  thN  honor  unto  himself,  but  he  that    i- 

I,  as  was  Aaron." —  II eh.  v.  4. 

;.  me   i;  ami  >aul  for  the  work  whereunto  I 

have  called  them."  — Acts  xiii.  2. 


44  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

What  a  marked  contrast  is  this  with  the  proceedings 
of  the  nominal  Christian  world  even  of  to-day,  where 
every  man  sends  himself,  and  climbs  into  the  seat  that 
his  fancy  pictures  as  the  most  honorable  and  lucrative, 
if  happily  by  a  little  manipulation  —  wire-pulling  —  he 
may  receive  a  sufficient  number  of  friends  to  give  him  a 
majority  vote  for  the  coveted  office  !  Late  revelation 
and  divine  appointment  thereby  are  not  believed  in,  —are 
made  a  mockery  of.  But  how  God  can  appoint  and  not 
reveal  is  a  question  for  modern  churchmen  to  solve  and 
explain.  Paul  wrote  :  — 

"He  gave  some,  apostles;  and  some,  prophets;  and  some, 
evangelists;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers;  for  the  perfecting 
of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  edifying  of 
the  body  of  Christ:  till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and 
of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God."  — Eph.  iv.  11-13. 

These  officers  were  given  to  the  church  to  administer 
its  laws;  for  its  edification,  upbuilding,  and  growth  in 
the  Lord.  Hence,  Paul  wrote  to  Timothy  :  "  Preach 
the  word ;  .  .  .  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort  with  all  long- 
suffering  and  doctrine  "  ;  to  rebuke  others  that  they 
might  be  sound  in  the  faith  ;  and  declared  himself  to  be 
an  ambassador  for  Christ,  a  preacher  to  the  Gentiles. 

These  God-sent  and  heaven-inspired  officers  were 
the  constituted  authorities  of  the  church  anciently;  and 
if  this  was  God's  order  then,  should  they  not  be  in  his 
church  now?  If  not,  why  not?  If  a  part  were  to  be 
taken  out,  what  part  was  it,  and  who  was  to  decide  and 
take  them  out  ? 

Some  one  answers  :  "The  apostles,  high  priests,  and 
prophets  were  to  be  taken  out."  But  who  said  so  ?  If 


PBBSID1  N«  ^     \\D    ri;ii>riiooi).  45 

Il<>  writer  of  llir    V    ,\     IV-tament    li:is   -.lid   BO  milch,   who 

will  l>o  so  pivMimptuous  as  to  speak  for  them? 

We  have  ju-t  as  good    rea-on  to  >:iy  that  the   elders, 

teachers,  and  deacons  should  iuded  from  the 

church.  Hut  God  put  them  in:  ami  we  say  tliat  none 
hut  (iod  can  lawfully  take  them  out,  or  declare  them  to 
he  no  I,.'  ere  placed  in  the  church 

a-  his  conttititied  //  ,  To  say  that  they  have 

Ceased  IS  to  affirm  that  (iod  ha-  no  louder  a  reeo-ni/rd 
church  or  mini-try  ;  that  they  are  n.»t  m-edrd. 

In  the  liirht  of  tlie  aKove  la<-l-,  can  any  oi'irani/ation, 
•  ud  and  haughty  in  it-  cl.iiin-,  or  lai-e  it- 
ntun'  the-e  (io.l->rni  and  heaven-inspired 

(»tiicrr>,  )..-  thr  elmrch  of  -  < 

Th  of  the  j)rie-th(M>d  can  e\i-t  with  or  with- 

out >ant.  The  remo\ini:of  the  oliicer  doe-  not 

d«-iroy  the  office  any  more  than  the  death  of  the  IYe-i- 
of  the  I'nited  States  de-n-nys  the  office  which  he 
hol.U.  When  I  lent  die-,  or  i-  ivmove«l  from 

office,  or  :i  of  office  expires,  !>y  due  pro<-ess  of  law 

aiiMtlicr  may  l»e  appointed  to  till  the  same  office.  The 
office  remains  although  tlu»  President  is  dead,  and  to 
have  a  government  proper,  another  must  take  his  place. 
So  it  is  in  all  the  essential  otii< -es  of  t  he  irovernment . 
Thi-  i-  true  of  the  kingdom  of  God  or  elmrch  of  Jesus 
Chri-t.  (iod  de-i-jnated  men  for  the  several  offices  of 
the  priesthood.  They  were  duly  authorized  to  occupy 
them.  When  any  one  of  them  wa-  removed,  by  death 
or  otherwise,  another  \\a-  appointed  t  >  succeed  him  in 
the  >ame  otlice.  As  precedents,  we  refer  the  reader  to 
the  Instance  of  appointing  Matthias  to  the  "l»i-hopric" 


46  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

or  "office"  held  by  Judas  Iscariot.      (Acts  i.  16-26.) 
Matthias  was  "numbered  with  the  eleven  apostles." 
Again  :  — 

"  Herod  the  king  stretched  forth  his  hands  to  vex  certain 
of  the  church.  And  he  killed  James  the  brother  of  John  with 
the  sword."  — Acts  xii.  1,  2. 

Soon  after  Paul  was  called  to  the  apostleship. 

"  The  Holy  Ghost  said,  Separate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for 
the  work  whereunto  I  have  called  them.  And  when  they  had 
fasted  and  prayed,  and  laid  their  hands  on  them,  they  sent 
them  away."  —Acts  xiii.  2,  3. 

Inside  of  one  year  (others  doubtless  having  been  re- 
removed  from  office  by  death  during  the  hot  persecution 
that  continued  even  after  the  killing  of  James)  we  read 
of  "the  apostles,  Barnabas  and  Saul."  (Acts  xiv.  14.) 
Dr.  Smith  says:  "From  this  time,  though  not  of  the 
number  of  the  twelve,  Barnabas  and  Paul  enjoy  the 
title  and  dignity  of  apostles."  (Bible  Diet.,  Vol.  I., 
page  247.)  The  vacancies  were  filled  as  they  occurred. 
The  conclusion  of  Rev.  Dr.  Morgan  Dix  upon  this 
is  as  follows  :  — 

"Dr.  Dix's  theme  was  'The  Apostolical  Succession,'  in  the 
elaboration  of  which  he  claimed  that  the  long-hoped-for  reun- 
ion of  the  different  sects  of  Protestantism  was  impossible  ex- 
cept by  a  denial  of  doctrines  held  essential  by  each,  and 
expressed  the  hope  that  it  would  be  brought  about  by  the 
acceptance  of  the  canons  and  doctrines  of  the  Episcopal  com- 
munion. Dr.  Dix  took  for  his  text  Acts  i.  26 :  c  And  they  gave 
forth  their  lots;  and  the  lot  fell  upon  Matthias,  and  he  was 
numbered  with  the  eleven  apostles.'  He  said:  — 

"  '  "When  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  gave  orders  to  the  apostles  to 
go  forth  and  convert  the  nations,  he  said,  u  1  am  with  you 


PRESIDENCY    AND    l'i;i  |>  THOOD.  47 

alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  It  is  plain  that  this 
promise  was  incapable  of  fulfilment  unless  in  a  line  of  succes- 
sors, with  whom  from  that  day  to  the  last  Christ  should  he  per- 
sonally present.  In  the  sacred  college  there  was  one  vacant 
place;  as  a  matter  «>f  •  -"iirse  that  place  must  he  filled.  The 
M  itthi:w  was  therefore  a  critical  event.  It  meant 
the  continuance  of  the  apostolic  oilier;  it  was  the  beginning  of 
an  apostolic  succession.  I  be  otlicial  interpretation  of 

<  hri  Bile,  and  .-how.  d   tin-    \vay  in   which  it  was  to  he 

made  <rood.     If  the  apostolic  office  were  not  of  divine  origin, 
indi-pen-al.l.-  ui;  on  the  work  of  evangel- 

•  m,  the  £  .Judas  need  not  have   hn-n 

-topjM-d.  If  mm  r.»u!d  without  commission  have  taken  up  the 
work  whi  <  «:un,  if  anybody  and  everybody  who 

had  a  devout  Spirit  and  love  of   «  -uld   have    evangelized 

without  asking  any  one's  leave  or  waiting  for  formal  mission, 
the  vacancy  need  not  have  been  tilled.  That  it  was  filled  in 
that  deliberate  and  >ol«-mn  \\.iv  >h"\\s  that  the  ollice  of  apostle 

wast  taal  ordinance  with  the  L-ud,  abiding  in  the 

-  unto  the  end  of  :ld.'" — New  York 

a,  Feb.  25,  1889. 

Il    ifl   i  ;pon,   however,  1>V  thr    \V<>lll(I-l><'    \\i-c, 

that  the  ap.t-tlcs  :ui<l  prophets  wrro  placed  in  the 
rlimvli  to  contiinn'  only  for  a  BetSim,  MIK!  then  to  cease 
becau-«'  n«»  Inn^n-  nr,-,lr<l.  lint  DOtwithstanding  this 
lirorul  assumption,  there  is  no  e\  i<lenr<>  in  the  Bible  to 
support  it,  and  a-  little  in  reason  and  common-sense. 
It  is  purely  a  fiction  of  tradition. 

ain  it  i-  -aid  that  \\lim  the  New  r|V>t:mirnt  was 
written  the  world  had  that  to  read,  and,  therefore, 
there  was  no  more  need  of  apo>tlcs  and  prophets  in 
the  church.  What,  then,  became  of  the  offices  in  the 
pri'-sthood  once  occupied  l>y  tin-  class  of  officer-? 
Werethej  always  to  remain  vacant?  I  f  so,  why  did 


48  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

not  Jesus  or  the  apostles  notify  the  church  of  that 
fact?  And  what  made  Paul  say  that  they  were  to 
continue  "till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith"? 
(Eph.  iv.  13.)  These  offices  were  filled  in  order  that 
there  might  be  a  proper,  live,  active  ministry  to  go  forth 
in  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel,  and  encourage 
and  edify  the  great  body  of  Christians.  To  argue  that 
because  we  have  the  Bible  to  read,  therefore  there  is  no 
longer  any  need  of  this  ancient  order  of  things,  is  to 
say  that  the  Bible  has  superseded  the  apostles  in  office, 
taken  the  place  of  the  chief  ministers.  But  does  it 
say  anywhere  in  the  New  Testament  that  God  set 
Bibles  in  the  church  for  the  work  of  the  ministry  ;  or 
that  he  commissioned  Bibles  to  go  or  be  passed  to  the 
heathen  solely  in  order  to  convert  them?  Does  not 
the  Bible  rather  define  the  duties  and  responsibilities 
of  the  ministers  themselves? 

With  equal  propriety  the  assumption  might  be  made 
that  after  the  law  of  Moses  was  written  the  priests  and 
Levites  could  have  been  dispensed  with  as  no  longer 
needed ;  or  that,  when  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  was  written,  defining  the  powers  and  duties  of 
the  government  officers,  such  as  that  of  President, 
Vice-President,  senator,  etc.,  the  officers  could  have 
been  dispensed  with  as  unnecessary ;  that  there  was 
nothing  more  that  they  could  do  ;  that  the  Constitution 
and  constable  were  all  the  government  the  people 
needed. 

The  Constitution,  indeed,  defines  the  powers  of  the 
officers  of  the  government,  the  manner  of  their  choosing 
and  appointment,  and  the  duties,  privileges,  and  respon- 


riMMDKNCY    AND    HM  K-THO<  U  >.  49 

>ihi:  •  iti/ens.      So  loiiir  a-  \\  e  ha\ea  L:O\  eminent 

constituted  and   carried   on    after   tliis    pattern,  we    will 

bare  the  grand  old  Kvpuhlic  he<jueathe,i  to  u-  l»y  our 

father-:  l.nt  -hoiild  it  he  changed  from  its  constitu- 
tional form  :m«l  pr<  >\  i-ion-,  it  would  cease  to  l>c  the 
lu-piiMir,  :md  In-  -omrlliiiiLT  «dsc. 

This  is  true  of  thf    kinirdoin   «»!'  (io.l,  or   the   chnrch 

of  Jr>us  Cli 

In    the    N.  :irnt    tin-  H'\    LMNell    of  tlie 

foruiMtion  of  thr  rlinreh  of  (  'hri-1  in  the  time-  ,,f  the 
M|n.-tle-.  It  lefa  torlll  the  class  of  oHieers  heloilLnili:- 
thel'eto.  Mild  <letilie>  their  duties.  Tlh'V  \\«Te  M|»o-tle-, 

pi-oj.het-,  >e\«-n:  li>N,  elder-,  l»i-liops,  pas- 

OOQS.  Their  respective  duties 

and  authority  are  clearly  sol  out  and  defined.  So  |on«j- 
a-  there  wa-  an  oi^Mni/at  ion  c-l  aMi-hed  a«-enrdin^  to 
thi-  pattern,  tlu»  rliurdi  -  -  ( 'hri-t  \\a-  upon 

earth.  When  it  was  changed  from  this  pattern,  it 
ceased  to  I>C  his  diureh  and  heeame  xnnethiiiLT  ebe, 

To  avoid  iinpo-ition   in   finance,  there  i^  put  in  circu- 

!i   a  money  tc-t,  l.y  which    the   liolder   of  money   i- 

enahle  1  to  determine  whether  there  is  tendered   to   him 

in  e\,  l.anire  true  or   faUe  coin.      Wlien  every  mark  and 

Of  hill  tendered  in  exchani:^  liariiioni/.e- 

with  this  detector,  it  is  pronounced  good  money,     lint 

if  there  is  anything  found  on  the,  coin  or   hill  not  to  be 

found  in  the  detector,  or  if  there   is  something  left  out 

of  the   coin   or  hill   that    is   found   in   the  detector,  it   is 

rejected  as  spurious. 

Tlie  New  Te-tament  contains  the  hi-tory  of  the  for- 
mation of  the  primitive*  church;  hence  it  is  the  tc-t  or 


50  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

detector  by  which  all  church  organizations,  claiming  to 
be  the  true,  are  to  be  tried.  Every  honest  seeker  after 
the  church  of  God  should  expect  to  find  an  organiza- 
tion in  harmony  with  its  provisions,  or  he  will  fail  to 
find  the  church  of  Christ.  Should  he  become  identified 
with  another  organization  that  is  not  according  to 
this  pattern,  he  will  suffer  himself  to  be  imposed  upon 
by  that  which  is  counterfeit,  and,  of  course,  in  the  end 
must  meet  with  disappointment. 

Then,  friend,  seeker,  take  the  New  Testament  in  your 
hand  as  your  guide  and  test,  by  which  to  try  systems, 
and  start  out  and  make  search  throughout  Christendom 
and  see  how  many  churches  may  be  found  that  will 
answer  to  the  pattern,  as  being  the  church  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Do  not  lose  sight  of  the  detector,  or  you  will 
be  in  danger  of  being  imposed  upon  by  something  man- 
made  and  spurious.  The  counterfeiter  is  abroad  in  the 
land. 


« -HAITI-: u  v» 

OFFICE  OF  Tin  VPOSTI.K    \M>  IIn;n   ri:n>r   MM 

i     IN    i  ii  -    i  ii  i  i  i)    THIS    <)i  i  i.  i- 

IN     IHK    Cm  i:<  ii     \MIII  -.1:111.  —  IlR    WAS    IUOGBEDKD, 

AFTER    HIS  A8C*NS1«.\     IMu  HV  JAMES,   THE  LOIII.S 

Bin  mi. 

\\  all  earthly  governments  tin-re  i-  a  supreme  presid- 

1.       In    a   republic,   there  is  a   president  :   in  a 

loin,  a  kin-  :  in  an  empire,  an  emperor  ;  in  a  dnke- 

<loin,  a  ilukr  ;   rtc.       'Flii-  is  true   of  cccloia.-tical   gov- 

enmientV.       In   the   <  'allmlir   Chun-li,  there   is  a 

in  the  KpiaOOpalian,  a    In-hup;    tin'    Trc-hylcrians 

:t  j»i>  .  :   tin*  (in-rk  Chnrdi,a  patriarch;  Congre- 

li:ivc    a    pa-tor    <>r    pastors,   etc.;     hut    the 

church  of  I  Christ  has  a  Chief  Apnstlr  and  Ili^h 

I  •  >th  Jesus  and  John  the  Baptist  were  apo-tlc<  m  the 
commonly  received  sense  of  being  sent  upon  their  mi>- 
-ion>  ;  hni  Jr-us  was  an  apostle  in  a  still  higher  scn-c, 
not  only  in  heinir  sent,  hut  hy  filling  the  chief  apostolic 

oilier    in     the     MelehUrder     prie-thood;     llCnCC,   lie    is    de- 

elared  to  l>e  "the   Ap.>Mle   and    High    Priest."      (Heh. 
in.   1.) 

Thon-amU  (locked  to  the  baptism  of  Jesus  and  John, 

and    covenanted   to    follow   in   the  ways  of  peace.      A 

church  soon   l»egan   to  be  formed,  and  in  due  time  it 

eompleted.     The  ord«T,  as  begun,  was  as  follows: 


52  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

(1.)  Jesus  "called  unto  him  his  disciples:  and  of 
them  he  chose  twelve,  whom  also  he  named  apostles." 
(Luke  vi.  13.)  (2.)  He  appointed  "other  seventy 
also."  (Luke  x.  1.)  Then  followed  elders,  pastors, 
evangelists,  bishops,  teachers,  etc.,  in  their  order,  as 
there  wns  a  demand  for  them.  It  was  not  until  after 
the  crucifixion  and  ascension  of  the  Saviour  that  the 
organization  was  completed. 

While  the  existence  of  these  several  offices  in  the 
priesthood,  from  that  of  an  apostle  to  that  of  a  deacon, 
may  be  conceded  as  having  been  the  order  of  the  prim- 
itive church,  still  is  there  an  office  belonging  to  the 
priesthoov!  Uigiier  than  those  to  which  the  twelve  apos- 
tles were  assigned?  Jesus  was  not  numbered  with  the 
twelve  apostles,  yet  he  wns  the  chief  presiding  head 
of  the  church  and  ministry,  "the  Apostle  and  High 
Priest."  Was  he  an  Apostle  and  High  Priest  by  virtue 
of  filling  such  an  office  in  the  priesthood,  or  in  some 
other  way  ? 

Before  any  person  can  become  a  priest,  he  must  take 
upon  him  the  priesthood,  fill  the  priest's  office.  Jesus 
was  not  a  high  priest  by  reason  of  being  the  Son  of 
God,  but  was  made  so  by  a  call  and  an  appointment. 
Paul  says  he  was  "called  of  God  a  high  priest  after 
the  order  of  Melchisedec,"  the  same  as  other  high 
priests  before  him.  For  "in  all  things  it  behooved 
him  to  be  made  like  unto  his  brethren."  (Heb.  ii.  17.) 
"Christ  glorified  not  himself  to  be  made  a  high  priest." 
(Heb.  v.  5.)  "And  no  man  taketh  this  honor  unto 
himself,  but  he  that  is  called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron." 
Jesus  said  to  John,  "It  becometh  us  to  fulfil  all  right- 


v     \\i>    ri:ii>rih)oi).  53 


cousin-  ill,  15,  >     "  Lo,  I  come  (in  the  vol- 

ume of  the   !».»«.  k    il    i-  written   <>f  me)  to  do  thy  will, 

O  Gc»<l."  I.  7.)      He  always  conformed  to  the 

rules  of  l:i\v  and  order;  not  those  set  up 

l»y     mm,    !»ut    thoM«    authori/ed   of   (iod.       Hence    he 

irorda."    (John 

viii.  -17.)       "  I   do  always  thosr   tiling    that   please  him." 

ii  viii,  2 

The  in  Moses,  iii   •_'•  -ueral  outline,  was 

similar   to   the   one    under  (  'hri-t.       Moses  was    the 

''    authority,     the     Melehi-r.lce    hiuh     priest,     M     has 

>hn\\n   in   this  article;    then   followed  the  twelve 
s  of  the  tril>cs  ;  then  the  seventy  elders 
L    1-17:    vii.   2-^1);    x.  4:    \i.    NI-31)  ;   after 
thai  .   ImroDi  priettej  and  Levitcs. 

In  the  Christian  system,  Jesus  is  the  chief  apostle 
and  Melchi-edec  hiirh  pri.-t.  Then  follow  the  twelve 
apostle^,  then  the  seventy,  then  the  elders;  after  that, 
l»Mmp-,  tea«-hers,  and  dettOOOS;  evangelists,  pastor-, 
and  hiirh  prie-i-,  having  their  proper  places  assigned. 

This  order  wa-  in  such  perfect  keeping  with  that  of 
Mo-e^,  r,,i-  which  the  Jews  ackiK  )wledir<'d  a  divine 
arrangement,  that  neither  the  enemies  nor  friends  of 
•Je  -us  ever  made  a  criticism  upon  it.  Under  Moses, 
they  were  to  hecnme  a  "kingdom  of  priests,"  "a  pecul- 
iar  trea-un*  unto  me  al»ove  all  ]>eople.w  (Ex.  xix.  5.) 
ruder  Chri>t  tln-y  were  "a  royal  priesthood";  ffan<l 
hath  made  us  kinirs  and  priests  unto  God  and  his 
Father."  (Bev.  i.  6;  v.  10;  2  Peter  ii.  :>-9.) 

lint  it  is  objected  that  l>ecansc»  it  is  written,  "He 
[Christ]  coutinueth  ever,  hath  an  unchangeable  ])riest- 


54  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

hood, "therefore  no  other  priest  could  arise  after  that 
order. 

The  unsoundness  of  this  position  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  every  priest  of  the  order  of  Melchisedec 
"continueth  ever."  Paul  says  of  Melchisedec,  "He 
was  made  like  unto  the  Son  of  God  ;  abideth  a  priest 
continually."  If,  then,  because  one  was  made  to  "  abide 
continually,"  there  could,  therefore,  arise  no  more  high 
priests  of  that  order,  then  Jesus  could  not  have  been 
a  Melchisedec  high  priest.  For  Melchisedec  was  before 
Christ,  and  Paul  says  he  "abideth  a  priest  continually." 
(Heb.  vii.  3.) 

Melchisedec  and  Moses  were  high  priests  of  this 
unchangeable  order  of  priesthood,  and  are  high  priests 
still  in  heaven.  Jesus  superseded  them  in  this  high 
office,  while  on  earth,  and  now  continues  a  High  Priest 
in  the  heavens,  by  virtue  (according  to  Paul)  of  the 
never-ending  character  and  unchangeability  of  his 
priesthood. 

Thus,  as  there  have  been  high  priests  of  this  order 
who  "continued  ever,"  and  who  were  superseded  by 
other  high  priests  of  the  same  order  and  office,  the 
precedent  is  established  for  an  uninterrupted  line  of 
high  priests  on  earth  that  "continueth  ever."  There- 
fore, the  supposition  that  Jesus  could  not  be  superseded 
in  the  church  on  earth  in  the  office  of  apostle  and  high 
priest,  because  he  "abideth  a  priest  continually,"  is 
proven  a  fallacy. 

Again  the  question  is  renewed,  Were  the  offices  of 
the  twelve  apostles  the  highest  positions  in  the  church 
at  the  time  of  the  Saviour's  personal  ministry?  AVc 
answer  emphatically,  No. 


PRESIDENT  ^      \\D    l'i;ir.sm<MU>.  55 

In  proof  of  tlii-  statement  note  what  h:is  previously 
l»een  -aid  in  this  article  upon  this  point  :  together  with 
the  follow  • 


\n<l  trulv  the  Son  <>f  man  -j-.t-tli,  as  it  was  determined:  but 

woe  unto  that   man  l»y  win.  m  h.-  i-  hrtrayr.l!  .  .  .  And  there 

was  also  a  strife  amour/  tfu  >  <>f  tin  in  should  be  accounted 

<jrtate*t."  —  Luke  \  1.     "  There  arose  a   r.-a-..nin^ 

Dg  tin  in.  irhirli  of  them  should  bcyr  Lukr  i\.  !«;. 

v   lu-ltl   I1  tot  hv  the  way  they  had  disputed 

!i<  msclves,  who  should  be  th«   -ivati'St."-      M  nk  ix.  :M. 


Thr    UH-u    who   riiLTaircd    *m    tlii-    >trifi'    already   filled 

ihc  t\vrl\r  apM-t«»lic  Matfl  :    and  if  there  was   no   higher 

known  to  them    in   the   priesthood  and   eliureli   to 

which    they    iniirlit    a-pire,    why    this    Mrite    as    to    who 

>hould  l»e  tin-  -  Why  contend  for  an   iinpo--i- 

!>h-    tliiliLT.    "lie    n«.t    in    e\i-te|ice? 

The  proof  here  pnints  out  most  certainly  that  there 

was  a  higher  and  moiv  conspicuous  office  in  tlir   church 

than    the    OD6fl   lilh'd    l»y    the    t  welve  apo>t  |rs,   and   that 

knew   it.       They  kne\\  ,  aNo,  that    Je>us    filled   that 

oflice,  and  that    at    hi-    d  he  would    he   succeeded 

mother    in    the    >aine    otlice.       Hence,    when   he    in- 

tunned    thrill    of  the    near    approach    of   his    death,    the 

What    for  I     Answer:  The   HIGHEST 

\T. 

This  -cat  must  have  heen  that  of  the  chief  ff  apostle 
and  hiirh  j)i'ie-t/'  for  there  i-  none  other  even  hinted  at 
in  the  Seriptmvs  as  lieinir  hiirher  in  any  sense  than  the 

Offic.  ,.•   twelve   apost  1 

us   did   not    tell   them   that   their  aspirations  were 
vain  :    that   there  irafl  no  higher  office  in  the  kingdom  of 


56  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

God  on  earth  than  those  to  which  they  had  already 
attained,  to  which  they  might  legitimately  aspire,  and 
about  which  they  contended  ;  but  the  contrary  of  this, 
as  follows  :  — 

"  And  he  said  unto  them,  The  kings  of  the  Gentiles  exercise 
lordship  over  them;  and  they  that  exercise  authority  upon  them 
are  called  benefa6tors.  But  ye  shall  not  be  so:  but  he  that  is 
greatest  among  you,  let  him  be  as  the  younger;  and  he  that  is 
chief,  as  he  that  doth  serve.  Tor  whether  is  greater,  he  that 
sitteth  at  meat,  or  he  that  serveth?  is  not  he  that  sitteth  at 
meat?  but  I  am  among  you  as  he  that  serveth." — Luke  xxii. 
25,  26,  27. 

Here  the  Lord  reminded  the  apostles  how  the  Gen- 
tiles exercised  lordship  over  the  people,  and  informed 
them  that  it  should  not  be  so  with  them.  But  he  that 
would  be  chief)  should  be  as  he  that  serveth.  The 
greatest  should  not  lord  it  over  and  domineer  the  rest, 
but  serve  as  the  younger.  He  himself  had  set  the 
example,  being  among  them  as  one  that  served. 

Again :  — 

"  Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be  your  min- 
ister; and' whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your 
servant."  — Matt.  xx.  26. 

"  Whosoever  of  you  will  be  the  chief est,  shall  be  servant  of 
all.  For  even  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto, 
but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many." —  Mark 
x.  44,  45. 

These  statements  were  made  by  the  Saviour  because 
of  disputations  having  arisen  among  the  twelve  as  to 
who  should  be  the  greatest  when  he  should  be  re- 
moved. It  is  plainly  announced  "that  the  chiefest" 
should  "be  servant  of  all." 


IO1     \\i>    i-!:ii>rm>OD.  57 

Again  :  — 

'•  l»     m  whom  tin'  lord   when  IK-  com- 

:iall  liiul  watchin-  I   say  unto  YOU,  (hat  he  shall  -ird 

•  •!!",  and  m.ike   them  to  sit   down   in  ni.-at,   and  will   eome 

r«  tin-in."  —  Luke  xii.  37. 

\  nd  this  b  i:  if  the  goodman  of  the  hou<e  liad  known 

:r    the    thief    would    come,    he    would    have    watched, 
and  d  his  house  to  be   broken  through."  — 

Luk. 

"Then  Peter  said  unto  him.  Lord,  speakest  thou  this  parable 
unto  UH,  or  r\  •  n  to  all? 

said.    Who    then    i,    that    faithful    and   wise 
whom  his  lord  shall  make  ruler  over  his  household,  to 
give  them  their  portion  of  meat  in  due  ><-ason? 

"  lUessed  is  that  -•  ivant.  whom  l»i-  lord  wh«-n  he  eometh 
shall  fiud  so  doing. 

44  Of  a  truth  I  say  unto  you,  that  he  will  make  him  ruler  over 
all  that  he  hath."  — Ln  :  1  -44. 

11  \\'h"  th.  n  If  .1  :  sithful  and  wi^e  servant,  whom  his  lord 
hath  made  ruler  over  his  household,  to  -ive  them  moat  in  due 
season? 

44  Blessed  is  that  servant,  whom  hi-  lord  when  he  eometh 
shall  find  so  d* 

•  \Y:i'.;.    1    M]   ;•>  you,  That  he  shall  make  him  ruler  over  all 
his  goods. 

•  l'.i,i  and  if  that  evi;  -.-rvant  shall  say  in  his  heart,  My  lord 

44  And  shall  begi  fellow  servants,  and  to  eat  and 

drink  with  the  drunken; 

44  The  lord  of  that  servant  shall  come  in  a  day  when  he 
looketh  not  for  him,  and  in  an  hour  thai  he  is  not  aware  of, 

44  And  shall  cut  him  a-under,  and  appoint  him  his  portion  with 
tin  hypocrites:  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth." 
-Matt,  xx 

These   i  ti  clearly  indicate  that  there  would  be 

one  .Mppnintnl  to  tlir  diirf  p<»i(ion  in  the  Lord's  house- 


58  PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

hold,  "a  faithful  and  wise  servant."  Luke  calls  him 
"a  faithful  and  wise  steward,  whom  his  lord  hath  made 
ruler  over  his  household." 

The  house  of  God  is  declared  to  be  the  church  of 
God.  Paul  says  :  — 

"  If  I  tarry  long,  that  thou  mayest  know  how  thou  oughtest 
to  behave  thyself  in  the  house  of  God,  which  is  the  church  of 
the  living  God,  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth."  —  ITim. 
in.  15. 

Says  Peter :  — 

"Ye  also,  as  lively  stones,  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house."  - 
1  Peter  ii.  5. 

Over  this  "  house  of  God  "  there  was  to  be  appointed 
a  chief  "steward,"  "a  faithful  and  wise  servant,"  one 
called  "great"  or  "greatest,"  "chief"  or  "chiefest," 
whose  duty  should  be  to  serve  all,  give  to  them  meat 
in  due  season. 

This  chief  servant  of  a/Z,  who  was  appointed  over  the 
"  house  of  God,"  was  the  successor  of  Jesus  in  the  office 
of  chief  "apostle  and  high  priest"  in  the  church  on 
earth. 

Who  was  it  that  was  thus  preferred  for  this  high 
position  ?  Beyond  question  it  was  "  James  the  Lord's 
brother."  (Gal.  i.  19.)  The  evidence  points  to  him 
as  having  been  the  chief  apostle  and  president  of  the 
church  after  the  ascension  of  the  Saviour  into  heaven. 

James,  the  apostle,  and  son  of  Zebedee,  was  beheaded 
a  few  years  after  the  ascension  of  the  Saviour,  and 
there  is  no  evidence  that  either  he  or  Peter  or  John 
ever  held  any  position  in  the  church  other  than  that  to 
which  they  were  called  in  the  time  of  the  Saviour's 


UDKW  ^     AND   ri;n>i  HOOD.  59 

personal    mini-try:     although    they    were    of   personal 
prominence  among  the   apostles.      Their  autliority  and 
"ii  were    to  "all  nations";    that  of  the  chief 
"steward"  or   president   was  to    the  church.      He   was 
d,    occupied    ;i    central    pl.-i  "IVter    passed 

through   all    .|ii.  i\.   :\'2.)      James  ahode 

at  Jcru-alein.  It  \\a-  th"  leaf  «>f  the  lir-t  president, 
called  l.y  modern  \\  riteps  "  l»i>hop."  That  , lames  held 
the  chief  authority  i^  B66D  from  a  Maleiiu'iit  of  Paul  to 
the  (ialatiaiis  (ii.  !»-li'  .  "And  when 

James,  Cepha-,  and  John,  \vho  seemed  to  he  pillars, 
perceived  the  ;:raee  thai  ,<-n  unto  me,  they  irave 

to  me  MIH!  liarnal.as  the  ri-ht  hands  of  fellowship." 
James  N  her.-  pla.-.-d  before  (  Vphas  and  ,Jolm,  e\ -idontly 

tnae  h«-  held  the  chief  autliority  or    hiirhest  <>fli« 
Ii  doc  low,  because  of  the  statement,  "  James, 

AS,  and  John,  who  seemed  t«>  l»e  pillar.-,"  that  the>e 

to   the   -ame  (juorum,  or  constituted  a 

r  the  church.      The  per- 

SOnal  prominence  of  t\\o  of  tho-e  apo-tle>,  Cephas  and 
John,  l»efore  tin*  crucitixiou  is  strikingly  indicated  in 
the  history  -ixenof  the  twelve  in  tlie  iLr<)>p«'ls.  Peter 
wa>  the  ;  /.-d  leader, imon_Lr  the  apo-t  le-,  and  »Iohn 

was  opccially  l»eloved  hy  the  Saviour:  and  then;  is 
nothing  more  natural  than  that  the  people  should  iin- 
a  trusted  contidence  in  them  not  accorded  to 
others,  although  hot  holding  the  same  offices  to  which 
they  were  assigned  when  they  were  first  called  to  the 
mini-try.  Together  with  James  the  son  of  Zehcdee, 
they  were  prominent,  and  an  e-pecial  confidence  imposed 
in  them  before  ihe  crucifixion,  and  it  is  nothing  sur- 


60  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

prising  that  they  should  be  considered  "pillars  "  there- 
after, although  but  holding  the  positions  to  which  they 
were  at  first  assigned.  James,  used  in  this  connection, 
is  James  the  Lord's  brother,  and  was  virtually  unknown 
as  a  minister  previous  to  the  crucifixion  ;  but  here  he  is 
presented  in  a  prominence  equal  to  the  chief  and  well- 
known  apostles,  and  position  must  attach  in  his  case 
and  he  be  assigned  as  the  chief  apostle  and  president 
of  the  church,  or  as  holding  a  position  with  the  other 
apostles,  including  Peter  and  John,  of  whom  he  was 
chief.  Again  :  — 

u  But  when  Peter  was  come  to  Antioch,  I  withstood  him  to 
the  face,  because  he  was  to  be  blamed.  For  before  that  certain 
came  from  James,  he  did  eat  with  the  Gentiles:  but  when  they 
were  come,  he  withdrew  and  separated  himself,  fearing  them 
which  were  of  the  circumcision.'  — Gal.  ii.  11,  12. 

This  shows  James  to  have  been  the  chief  director  in 
church  affairs,  and  that  Peter  changed  his  course  towards 
the  Gentiles,  and  honored  James's  counsel  and  decision, 
against  the  advice  of  Paul.  Peter,  on  the  night  of  his 
release  from  prison,  said  to  those  who  were  at  prayer 
at  the  "  house  of  Mary  the  mother  of  John,"  "  Go  shew 
these  things  unto  James,  and  to  the  brethren."  (Acts 
xii.17.)  James  is  the  only  name  mentioned  in  this  con- 
nection, and  doubtless  it  is  because  of  the  conspicuous 
position  he  held  in  the  church.  All  others  were  in- 
cluded under  the  head  of  "the  brethren."  It  would  be 
natural  to  mention  the  chief  church  officials,  if  any,  in 
sending  tidings  of  this  kind.  James  the  son  of  Zebedee 
was  beheaded  at  this  time,  and  he  could  not  have  been 
the  James  referred  to. 


ri;i  HM  \<  v    AND    H:ii->Tih  MU>.  61 

At  a  cuiif.-ivnre  In-Ill  at  Jerusalem  iii  \\hieh  appeared 

the  chief  authorities  of  tin-  chureh,  James  is  presented 

as  the  cun-pieuou-  character,  leader  and  president  of 
that  aiiuiM  assemM\  .  After  all  had  spoken,  including 
Peter  and  Paul, 

41  James  answered,  sa\  in  a.l  Mrthivn,  hearken  unto 

14  Wherefore  my  sentence  is  thai  \vi«  tmuhh-  not  tln-m,  which 
fn.in  ain-.n-  tin-  (ii-ntil.-s  an-  tunn  .1  t.i  <;od.n—  Acts  xv.  l.'J,  !'.». 

This  drri>ion  pli-a-t-d  thr  wLolc  as>cinM  y,  aiul  letters 

ongratolatioQ  and  oomfori  irere  -«-m  abroad  to  the 

Bevrral  eln, 

Gi>d    i'  d    thi>   rhirf   prr>idin^   authority   and 

indicated  the  deci>ion.      1  1-  read  :  — 

44  For  it  seemed  good  t<»  iln-  Ifoly  Ghost,  and  to  us,  to  lay  upon 
you  ii"  L.T«  ;ii-  r  hurden  than  these  necessary  things."  —  Acts  xv. 
K. 


'is  no  comment    upon   this   hrief  history  to 
>hu\v  that  James  was  the  chief  authority  and  president 
be  ehmvh   at    this  time,   and   that   he  presided  and 
:liiveted  ain.)iiLr  the   liijhe-t   elmivh  dignitaries  on  one 
of  the    ino-l    important    o<-ea-ions     of  whieh     history 
.  \jain,  at'iei    Paul,  with  others,  had  come  on 
a  lonir  journey  to  Jerusalem,  he  says  :  — 

44  The  brethren  received  us  gladly. 

44  And  the  day  following  Paul  went  in  with  us  unto  James; 
and  all  the  elders  were  present."  —  Acts  xxi.  17,  18. 

men  appears  also  in  this  narrative  as  the  chief 
character,  sitting  ^  ith  the  elders  at  the  seat  of  empire, 
!he  city  of  Jerusalem,  not  Rome.  This  James  was 
the  oMe.t  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  by  their 


62  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

natural  union,  and  he  was  slow  to  believe  in  (Jvs  miasioi>. 
and  claims  of  Jesus,  as  were  the  younger  of  the  family, 
as  is  shown  in  the  New  Testament. 

For  when  Jesus  had  come  into  Life  own  country,  it 
was  said  of  him  :  — 

u  Whence  hath  this  man  this  whaom,  and  these  mighty 
works? 

"  Is  not  this  the  carpenter's  sou?  is  not  his  mother  called 
Mary,  and  his  brethren,  James,  and  Joses,  and  Simon,  and 
Judas? 

"  And  his  sisters,  are  they  not  all  with  us?"  —Matt.  xiii. 
54,  55,  56. 

This  is  a  decisive  statement  in  favor  of  James,  Joses, 
Simon,  and  Judas  being  the  brethren  of  the  Lord. 
Some  adverse  criticisms  have  been  made  upon  it,  how- 
ever, by  some  writers,  but  it  is  affirmed  by  the  larger 
number. 

After  the  resurrection,  Jesus  appeared  unto  James. 
(1  Cor.  xv.  7.)  Some  writers  have  concluded  that  this 
marks  the  beginning  of  a  complete  confidence  and  faith 
of  James  in  the  character  and  mission  of  Christ.  But 
it  is  only  conjecture,  as  it  is  founded  upon  no  historical 
fact. 

The  statement,  "Neither  did  his  brethren  believe  in 
him  "  (John  vii.  5),  was  made  in  the  early  part  of  the 
Saviour's  ministry,  and  does  not  necessarily  commit  the 
four  brothers,  as  there  were  a  number  of  other  relatives, 
brethren,  that  this  could  aptly  refer  too,  and  still  allow 
that  these  were  even  at  that  time  converts  to  the  faith. 
But  allowing  that  they  were  then  doubtful,  there  was 
ample  time  for  conversion  before  the  crucifixion. 


!'i:i>IM.\rv    AND   PltlKSTllOOD.  ('>"> 

\ 
Dr.  \Vin.  Smiili  aajB  :  — 

"At  some  time  in  the  forty  days  that   intervened  hctweeu 

the  r  on  and  the  ascension  the  Lord  appeared  to  him 

i.-s].     This  is  not  related  hy  the  Kvan^clists,  hnt  it  is  men- 

tionc-  i'anl.    ( 1  Cur.  xv.  7.)    Again  we  lose  sight  of  James 

for  ten  years,  and  when  he  appears  once  more  it  is  in  a  far  higher 
position  than  any  that  he  ha-  Net  held.  In  the  year  .".7  occurred 
the  conversion  of  Saul.  rl  irs  after  his  conversion  he 

ln(  Ni-it   to  Jerusalem,  hut   tin-  Christians  recollected 
Nvha'  i   at    his   hands,  and  feared  to  have  any- 

thing to  <lo  with  him.      :  thi<  time  nf  far  higher  rep- 

utaiinn  t!  :f,  t«»nk  him  hy  the  hand,  and  introduced  him' 

to  Peter  and  .l.m,.  ,  il.  i.    is,   I'.i),  an<l  hy  their 

auth  \as  admitted  into  the  society  of   the  Cliristians, 

and  was  allowed  to  as-  .  lv  with  them  dnrinir  the  fifteen 

8  we  find   .l.tm.-  on  a  level  with   l'< 

and  with  him  deciding  on  the  admission  of  St.  Paul  into  fellow- 
ship wi'h  the  church  at  Jerusalem;  and  from  henceforth  we 
always  find  him  equal,  or  in  his  own  department  superior,  to 
the  very  chi»  hn,  and  Paul.  For  hy  this 

time  he  had  been  appointed  t<>  piv>id«-  over  the  infant  church 
t  important  centre.  .  .  .  This  pre-eminence  is  evident 
:_rhout  the  After  history  of  the  apostles,  whether  we  read 
it    in  the   Aet-.  in   th<  .  or  in  ecclesiastical   writers."  — 

Bible  •'/.  pa-je 

Acconlini:  to  the  >t:itniMMits  of  this  learned  writer, 

Paul  was  convrrtrd  to  tin-  Christian  cause  in  "the  year 

-  after  (in  40)  he  w  went  tip  to  Jerusalem 

to  see   1'  Here    he  was   introduced    l>y  Harnahas 

"to  the  apostles."     Yet   all  the   apostles  that  he  met 

and  IVler.      This  show>  James  to  have  then 

ii  an  a]M»tlc.      (Acts  ix.  27;   Gal.  i.  18.) 

096S,  the  apo-tle,  and  son  of  Zehedce,  was  put  to 
deiih  in  A.  1).    11.      Thu-  we  find  James,    "the   Lord'< 


64  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

brother,"  an  apostle,  and  "we  always  find  him  equal, 
or  in  his  own  department  superior,  to  the  very  chiefest 
apostles,  Peter,  John,  and  Paul,"  while  yet  all  of 
the  twelve  apostles  were  alive.  "For  by  this  time" 
(before  any  of  the  original  twelve  had  deceased, 
except  Judas  Iscariot)  w  he  had  been  appointed  to 

PRESIDE  OVER  THE  INFANT  CHURCH."  "  This  PRE- 
EMINENCE is  evident  throughout  the  after  history  of  the 
apostles,  whether  we  read  it  in  the  Acts,  in  the  epistles, 
or  in  ecclesiastical  writers"  Here  it  is  declared  that 
James,  the  Lord's  brother,  was  appointed  the  presi- 
dent of  the  church  at  Jerusalem,  and  made  "superior 
to  the  very  chiefest  apostles."  He  was  the  person, 
then,  who,  by  due  appointment  and  the  common  con- 
sent of  the  church,  succeeded  to  the  office  of  the  chief 
apostle  and  high  priest  in  the  church  on  earth,  soon 
after  the  ascension  of  the  Saviour  into  heaven. 
Further :  — 

"  He  remained  unmolested  (at  Jerusalem),  the  apostles  being 
scattered,  and  from  this  time  he  is  the  acknowledged  head  of 
the  church  of  Jerusalem.  A  consideration  of  Acts  xii.  17;  xv. 
13, 19;  xxi.  18;  Gal.  ii.  2,  9,  12,  will  remove  all  doubts  on  this 
head.  Indeed,  four  years  before  Herod's  persecution,  he  had 
stood,  it  would  seem,  on  a  level  with  Peter  (Gal.  i.  18,  19; 
Acts  ix.  27),  and  it  has  been  thought  that  he  received  special 
instruction  for  the  functions  which  he  had  to  fulfil  from  the 
Lord  himself.  (1  Cor.  xv.  7;  Acts  i.  3.)  Whatever  his  pre- 
eminence was,  he  appears  to  have  borne  110  special  title  indicat- 
ing it.  The  example  of  the  mother  church  of  Jerusalem  was 
again  followed  by  the  Pauline  churches.  Timothy  and  Titus 
had  probably  had  no  distinctive  title,  but  it  is  impossible  to  read 
the  epistles  addressed  to  them  without  seeing  that  they  had  an 
authority  superior  to  that  of  the  ordinary  bishops  or  priests, 


HDB6IBKM  ^      \M>    PKI98THOOD.  G5 

with    iv-ard    I  conduct    ami  ordination  St.  Paul  ijives 

in*inieii.in.     (1  Tim.  iii.;  v.  17,  l!>;  Titus  i.  5.)  "  —  ISible 
Dictionary  y  Vol.  I.,  page  4 

It  would  seem  to  1  -•nclusion,  that,  accept- 

ihat  the  ahovr-mrntioned  officers  held  an  authority 
mperioi  to  others  of  thr  ministry,  there  were  sonic 
It-mi-  in  use  which  in<licateo!  thoM»  positions,  well 
known  to  the  church  llifii,  l»ut  lo-t  to  hi-tory  since,  as 
many  otluT  tiling  ha\«-  been,  .>!,.rnrc(l  an<l  lost  tinder 
the  \vorlxinLTs  ami  rule  of  the  "my-tery  of  ini«|iiiiy." 
\Vrre  thrse  men  061  -iitie-,  hiirli  prie-t-,  evan^eli-t-. 
pa-tors,  apo-th-1'  \Vh:»»'  Thr  iobolastiCfl  <!«>  not 

kiiou  ,  hence  th-  ;<!»•,  a-  tin-  .\r  out  of  the 

difficulty,  that  they  had  no  di>tineti\c  titles. 
Sn;  us:  — 

u  With  t!i«-  a  poetics,  James,  the  brother  of  thr  Lord,  succeeds 
••  chnrgc  of  the  chun-h,  — that  .lam.-,  ulm  has  h.-on  called 
from   the  time  «»f    thr    I.. .id   to   our  days,   for  there  wnv 
thr   name  Jainex.     l|c?  was   holy  from   his  mother's 
womh;  he  drank  :  or  Mronir  drink,  nor  did  ho  eat  ani- 

mal food."  —  /  Vol.  I.,  page  1206. 

tin  :  — 

•    i       ihrrhureh  ilr m,  .lainrv,  the  lord's  brother,  was 

first  bishop  thereof,  as  all  ancient  writers  agree;  though  when 

and  by  whom  he  was  ordain.d  tin  v  are  not  so  unanimous;  for 

some  sa\  OUT  I. "id's  crucifixion;  others, 

by  Christ  himself;  and  others,  aijain,  both  by  Christ  and  the 

.  .  .  .  This  was  d«  as  a  peculiar  honor  to  St. 

••s,  as  the  brother  of  (  hri-t;  for  though  our  Saviour  usually 

gave  preference  to  Peter,  .John,  and  James,  his  brother,  yet 

none  of  those  contended  about  this  honor,  but  chose  this  Janus 

to  be  bishop."—  Christian  Antiquities,  by  B  ING  HAM,  Vol.  I., 


66  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"  James  was  president  of  the  church  at  Jerusalem."  — - 
Biblical  Cyclopaedia  j  Vol.  II. ,  page  681. 

Again :  — 

"  The  question  respecting  the  identity  of  the  James  who  wrote 
this  Epistle  [the  Epistle  of  James]  is  one  of  great  difficulty. 
That  James,  the  Lord's  brother,  whom  Paul  names  as  one  of 
the  apostles  (Gal.  i.  19),  is  identical  with  the  James  mentioned 
hy  Luke  in  Acts  xii.  17;  xv.  13,  and  was  the  author  of  the  pres- 
ent Epistle,  is  admitted  by  most  writers.  That  this  James  was 
the  James  who  was  named  with  Joses,  Simon,  and  Judas,  as  one  of 
our  Lord's  brethren,  must  be  received  as  certain.  But  whether 
Ve  was  identical  with  James,  the  son  of  Alphseus,  who  was  one 
of  the  twelve,  is  a  question  much  discussed,  and  on  which  emi- 
nent Biblical  scholars  are  found  arrayed  on  opposite  sides.  The 
author  of  this  Epistle  is,  beyond  all  reasonable  doubt,  the  James 
who  gave  the  final  opinion  in  the  assembly  of  the  apostles  and 
elders  at  Jerusalem  (Acts  xv.  15-21),  whom  Paul  named,  with 
Cephas  and  John,  as  one  of  the  '  pillars,'  and  who  elsewhere 
appears  as  a  man  of  commanding  influence  in  the  church  at 
Jerusalem;  also  called  James  the  Just."  —  Pictorial  Bible 
(which  includes  the  Revised  Version),  page  42,  and  published  at 
Chicago,  111.,  by  David  C.  Cook  &  Co.,  46  Adams  Street  * 

Did  James  preside  over  the  church  by  virtue  of  being 
appointed  to  a  proper  office  in  the  priesthood,  or  in 
some  other  way?  Did  the  apostles  meet  together  and 
invent  a  new  thing,  —  set  a  president  over  the  "  house 
of  God,"  without  any  authority  or  precedent  for  it? 
Answer  you  who  may,  who  doubt  that  James,  the 
Lord's  brother  (or  some  other,  not  to  appear  dogmatic 
upon  that  which  has  not  obtained  universal  consent), 
succeeded  to  office  in  the  Melchisedec  priesthood,  occu- 
pied the  high  seat  held  by  Melchisedec  and  Moses. 

*  Appendix  B. 


CHAPTEB   VI. 

TlIK   l'i:r-!M  \  I    "I     I  III    Clli'i:.  II  roNTIHI  I  l>   —  IlK  HAD  TWO  COUN- 

BLLORSi     M"M     I   IK  I.I   *     Jl    IM       VMi     Ml    VV    oi:    ,!|    DAS.          .I.V.Ml.S, 

N  or  ZKBKDKK,  I'KTKK.  ANI>  .J<m\  \\  i  UK  NOT  CON-U- 

iiiii»  v  I  'II:M  I'KI  MM  \«  v  <>\iic  INK  KM  IKK  CHURCH.  — 
l'i  MI:  i  in  I'KI  -M.  i  M  in  i  in  T  \\n.\  i  \n  .-1  i  i:s.  —TiiKOAR- 
IMNAI.  I'l.lM  IPLKSOmiF.  FAITH.  —  TlIK  LAWS  Of  IMIIATION 

TIIK  CHURCH. 


A«  i  i  ii\<  in  it  JMIIIOS  was  made  president  of  the 
rlmivli,  it  would  lx»  rraxuiaMr  t<>  conclude  that  he  was 
•  I  l>y  coini-rlh.r-,  —  .-mv  \\.-iv,  1>\  :i-  many  as  two. 
This  would  !>*'  thr  1<  MM  nuinlxT  that  could  properly  con- 
stitute u  committee  or  <juorum  in  order  to  obtain  a 
majority  decision  in  the  Iran-action  of  business.  Fol- 
lo\\  in::  in  the  line  and  order  of  an  a-<  -ending  authority, 
from  the  body  of  elders  to  that  of  the  seventy,  and- 
thence  to  the  t  \\cl\e  apostles,  it  would  he  natural  to 
conclude  that  a  quorum  of  not  more  than  three  would 
IK;  appointed  to  constitute  a  presidency.  Upon  ques- 
tions to  be  considered  and  decided  this  would  give  a 
majority  of  one,  and  it  would  1x5  unreasonable  to  con- 
elude  that  there  were  no  arduous  labor  to  be  performed 
and  important  transactions  to  be  considered  in  connec- 
tion with  this  hiirh  and  responsible  position  that  would 
demand  aid,  counsel,  and  decision.  For  this  number 
we  have  a  type  or  example  given  in  the  time  of  Moses, 
as  follow-  :  — 


68  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

"  But  Moses'  hands  were  heavy;  and  they  took  a  stone,  and 
put  it  under  him,  and  he  sat  thereon;  and  Aaron  and  Hur 
stayed  up  his  hands,  the  one  on  the  one  side,  and  the  other  on 
the  other  side;  and  his  hands  were  steady  until  the  going  down 
of  the  sun."  —  Ex.  xvii.  12  ;  xxiv.  14. 

This  was  before  Aaron  was  consecrated  to  the 
"  priest's  office,"  or  the  order  of  things  under  the  Leviti- 
cal  priesthood,  over  which  Aaron  presided,  was  set  up. 
Again,  the  church  on  earth  was  after  the  pattern  of  the 
heavenly ;  three  presiding  on  earth  in  the  likeness  of 
the  three  presiding  in  heaven,  — the  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Now,  that  this  is. the  order  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
was  well  understood  by  the  wife  of  Zehedee,  who  was 
instructed  personally  by  the  Saviour  in  the  order  of  the 
church.  Hence  her  ambition  led  her  to  take  her  two 
sons,  James  and  John,  to  the  Saviour,  and  ask  of  him 
that  they  might  "sit,  the  one  on  thy  right  hand,  and 
the  other  on  the  left,  in  thy  kingdom."  (Matt.  xx.  21.) 
Mark  says,  as  expressed  by  the  two  sons,  "in  thy 
glory."  (Mark  x.  37.)  This  was  to  be  in  the  future, 
when  the  kingdom  of  Christ  would  bear  rule  over  all 
the  earth,  when  he  comes  in  the  glory  of  his  Father. 
(Mark  viii.  38;  Matt.  xxiv.  30;  xvi.  27;  Mark  xii. 
26.)  tc  Then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory." 
(Matt.  xxv.  31.) 

At  this  time,  the  twelve  apostles  had  already  received 
the  promise  to  "  sit  upon  twelve  thrones  "  when  Christ 
should  "sit  in  the  throne  of  his  glory."  (Matt.  xix. 
28  ;  Luke  xxii.  29  ;  Rev.  xx.  4.) 

These  two  sons  were  included  with   the  other   ten 


PRESIDENCY    AND    I  MI  1 1  >  1  I  h  >OD.  60 

apostles,  heirs  to  the  same  promise  of  sitting  upon 
thrones.  But  it  did  not  <|iiite  -ati-fy  the  ambition  of 
].ron«l  Jewess';  she  craved  that  her  two  sons  should 
-it,  the  one  on  hi-  riirht  hand,  and  the  other  on  his  left, 
in  his  kingdom.  This  simply  meant  that  >he  wi-hed 
them  placed  in  the  two  -eats  of  honor  or  power, — 
tho-e  iiraie-t  his  person. 

Unwise  as  this  re<|iie>t    may  have    l.e.-n,  the  Saviour 

r  informed  the  u.nnan  that  theiv  \\ere  no  >ueh  posi- 

to  he  tilled  in  his  kiuirdoin  as  tin--.-  two  sons  seem 

to  have  a-piivd  to;  hut  lie  rat  her  continued  her  opinion 

of  the  matter   l»y   >ayingf    **  To  sit  on   my  riirht  hand, 

and  on  my  Irfl.  i-  not  mine  to  ui\  «•,/////  !t  xlmll 

t<>   (hem  for  tr//<>,//    //    />•    prepared   of  Either" 

i.  \\.   : 

The  order  of  the  kingdom  of  (iod,  and  its  future 
piv\alence  on  the  earth,  wej-e  >ueh  common  topic-  «.!' 
«'r-ali<>n  and  di-cour-e  in  those  days,  and  were  so 
well  under-t'H.d,  that  the  thief  on  the  cross  was  in- 
formed repirdinir  it,  and  whilo  exj)irinir  craved  that 
Christ  would  rememlicr  him  when  lie  should  come  in 
Hi-  kingdom.  "  Lord,  nMuemher  mo  when  them  coine-t 
into  thy  kingdom."  (Luke  \\iii.  12.)  This  thief  wa-, 
donMlr  — ,  a  l»apti/.r«l  di-eij.le  of  Christ,  hut  while  under 
ti-mptation  had  sinned,  and  Christ  hcu-ci  forgave  him. 
(  1  John  ii.  1.) 

The  an-cl   -aid  to  Mary,  "The  Lord  <io<l  shall  ^ive 

unto  him  the  throne  of  his  father  David."    (  Luke  i.  32.  ) 

A  two    p'-rsons  who  were  associated  with  the 

-111-  dames  in  the  presidency  of  the  church,  it  should 

be  no  surprise  if  their  names  are  not  mentioned  in  the 


70  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

history  of  the  church  ;  for  James,  the  president,  even, 
is  lost  sight  of  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  and  some  of 
the  most  important  things  relating  to  him  were  but 
incidentally  mentioned,  as  it  were,  by  the  historian. 
Indeed,  we  have  but  a  scrap  of  the  history  of  those 
times.  Persecution,  war,  conflict,  and  destruction  were 
the  common  order.  Peter's  name  even  is  not  mentioned 
for  a  period  of  six  years,  —  one  of  the  first  and  most 
popular  of  the  apostles. 

The  best  evidence  obtainable,  however,  points  to  the 
Apostle  Jude  as  being  one  that  was  associated  with  the 
president  of  the  church.  (1.)  It  is  conceded  that  he 
was  an  apostle.  (2.)  It  is  agreed  that  he  was  the 
brother  of  James ;  hence  the  prestige  of  family  that 
would  be  likely  to  secure  respect  and  confidence.  (3.) 
The  manner  in  which  he  addressed  his  Epistle  shows 
him  to  have  been  in  high  standing,  influential,  and  well 
known  by  all  of  the  church.  He  had  but  to  say  that 
he  was  the  "brother  of  James"  to  indicate  his  stand- 
ing and  secure  regard  for  his  Epistle  throughout  the 
entire  church. ,  (4.)  His  letter  is  addressed  to  the 
church  at  large.  This  he  would  not  have  done  had 
he  not  been  occupying  one  of  the  highest  seats  in  the 
church, — one  near  the  president.  It  reads:  "To 
them  that  are  sanctified  by  God  the  Father,  and  pre- 
served in  Jesus  Christ."  Not  to  one  church,  but  to 
them  all.  Again  :  "When  I  gave  all  diligence  to  write 
unto  you  of  the  common  salvation."  .  .  .  "For  there 
are  certain  men  crept  in  unawares."  This  shows  him 
to  have  been  a  chief  watchman,  and  well  informed  in 
church  matters.  (5.)  In  the  seventeenth  verse  he  dis- 


\M>   pi;n:>THooD.  71 

rhims    :i    standini:,    it    would    seem,  with    the    twelve 
ittatj  beDOC  the  proper   plaee   to  ns-i-n   him  i-  with 
his  brother  Jamefl  in  the  presidency  of  the"  church. 

Under  the  headini:  of  the  "  Kpi-tle  ol'  Jude  "  we  h;i\  e 
tin-  follouini:  :  — 

"The  writer  of  the  Epistle  styles  himself  (verse  one)  -  .Iu«lc, 
the  .  .  .  brother  of  James,'  and  has  been  usually  identified  with 
the  Apostle  Judas  I>*bba?us,  or  Thaddcus.  Hut  there  are  strong 
reasonsforriMid*  rini:  the  words,  (  Judas,  the  .  .  .  son  of  James'; 
.m<l  iniiMMurh  as  the  author  appears  (verse  seventeen)  to  dis- 
titi'j-  If  from  the  apostles,  we  may  agree  with  eminent 

attrihiUin^'  the  Kpistli-  to  another  author.  The  most 
probable  conclusion  is  that  the  author  was  .hide,  one  of  the 
brethren  of  Ji'Mi-;  u««t  th.  apofttle,  the  son  of  Alph;«  -u-.  hut  the 
bishop  of  Jerusalem/'  —  Pictorial  Bible,  published  by  D.  Cook 
&  Co.,  Chicago,  111.,  page  i 


sh"  thr  «.  t  her  assistant  or  ronii>('ll»r  was,  it  is 
yet  more  doubtful.  It  i-  highly  prohaldr,  however, 
thai  it  was  Silas;  possibly  ff  Judas,  sin  named  Barga- 
bae.w  (Acts  x\.  IS,  W,  32.)  Moiv  than  likely, 
as  these  wen  tim,  s  of  fierce  persecution,  and  many 
of  the  chief  Christian  workers  lost  their  lives,  these 
counx'llor-,  or  aids,  were  frniurntly  rnnovr.l  l>y  death 
ami  olhrr>  a--iirne«l  to  their  places.  None  ever  exerted 
the  inllnener  over  the  ,|.  did  .lames.  He 

was  highly  esteemed  by  all  classes  by  reason  of  his 
well-known  great  piety.  The  Jews  hoped,  or  sought, 

until  the  l:i-t,  the  day  of  his  martyrdom,  to  reclaim  him 
from  the  Christian  cause.  By  reaxm  of  the  popular 
regard  had  for  him,  it  appears  that  he  was  protected 
in  Jrrn-alem  when  the  twelve  apostle-  were  scattered 

•ad,  together  with  many  of  the  church. 

•Appendix  C. 


72  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

It  is  believed  by  some  that,  after  the  crucifixion  of 
the  Saviour,  Peter,  James,  and  John  were  advanced 
to  the  presidency  of  the  church  ;  that  their  authority 
henceforth  transcended  that  of  the  other  apostles.  But 
unfortunately  for  this  theory,  there  seems  to  be  little  or 
nothing  to  support  it. 

(1.)  All  the  facts  go  to  show  that  it  was  James,  the 
"Lord's  brother,"  and  not  James,  the  son  of  Zebedee, 
that  was  made  president  of  the  church  at  Jerusalem. 
(2.)  There  is  no  evidence  showing  that  either  Peter  or 
John  ever  acted  in  that  capacity,  but  rather  that  they 
continued  in  the  very  offices  and  authority  to  which 
they  were  appointed  when  they  were  first  called  to  the 
apostleship  by  the  Master. 

It  is  argued,  however,  that  the  Saviour  said  unto 
Peter :  "I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven :  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth 
shall  be  bound  in  heaven :  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt 
loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven"  (Matt.  xvi. 
19),  and  that  this  was  virtually  his  appointment  to  the 
leadership  or  presidency  of  the  church. 

But  there  is  nothing  conferred  in  this  statement  that 
is  not  essential  to  the  carrying  out  of  the  great  com- 
mission given  to  Peter  and  co-laborers,  to  go  and 
"  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them,"  etc.  (Matt,  xxviii. 
19.)  From  the  very  choosing  of  the  twelve  apostles 
Peter  seems  to  have  been  constituted  their  leader. 
The  reason  is  not  assigned,  but  he  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  any  more  so  after  than  before  the  cruci- 
fixion. 

Dr.  Smith  says  of  him  :  — 


ri;l>!M  -M   V      \\D     I'l.'ll   -I  MOOD. 

u  Frmii  tin-*  time  [the  time  of  th«-  of  the  Rpotl 

!"•  no  d«»uht  that  lYt.-r  held  th                .ice  amon^  the 

aposth -,  t«»  v.  '                  ause  his   piv.  he  attrihutcd. 

nainrd  tir-t                   !i-t  of  th  .iu  is  generally 

->»-d  hy  our  l.'-nl  as  their  r-  I  on  tin-  most 

•un  occasion-    h<-   speaks   in  th.  -lohti  vi. 

65-69;  Matt.  XM.  If,.   , 

•    1  ! .-  t       v  ehnrch  iv^ar-  generally  ...  as  the 
•!i«-apMHi,,             .  »  very  distinct  theoty  from 

that  v.  ikrs  him  tin  ir  hra«l  or  ^o\ ,  «   In  ist's  Stead. 

office,  and  crrtainly  in-ver  claimed  any 

iliMiiut   powers  which  did  not  h«-lon«?  equally  to  all  his  fi-llow- 

Tlh'     rsi-lrn.r      jM.int-      to      Prt«T     :i-     till*    diairillMIl     of 

thr  rollt'irc  of  :i|M.-tlr-,  ratlnT  tiian  any- 
thing 0I«6  :  :in<l  thi-  it  i>  nio-t  likely  iir  \\a-,  Ix.ih  hrt'orc 
and  after  the  a-een-ion  of  tli«»  Saviour.  There  was 

nothiiiLT  in  tin-  "kr\s"  of  authority  coo  ferred  upon  him 

tli.it   ITtl  >ential  to  the  olli*  e  which    he   held  l>oth 

ie   and   after  the  erneifixion  ;    indeed,  lu-loii^s  to  it. 
1'  d    this  aiilhorily   on    1'eiiteeo-t,   and   at 

the  i  f  Cornelinx.      IK;  received  from  heaven,  and 

1  to  men  on  earth.      It  utial  to  his  min- 

i-try a-  a  clii.-f  apostle   in  all  th(^  world.      It   U-lon-j 

office  of  an   apoxtle,  HIM  ially  to  the  chief  of 

ly  or  (jtiorum.      Had    Peter  l»een    n  -aided   in 
1  of  the  nt  of   the  church,  tin;  church  at 

.lei  n-alem  would  not  have  l»roui:!it  him  up  so  summarily 
for  hi-  COndad  :it  the  liou-e  of  <'onirliu>,  neither  would 
Paul   liave   likely  f.-und   out   more  of  the  truth  of  the 
di\ine  \\ill    than    he,  and  so  contend  a«rain>t   him   "he- 
he   was   to   be   blamed."     (Gal.    ii.    11.)      Upon 
nt    it    i>   hut    necessary  to  rail    the  attention  of 


74  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

those  who  believe  as  does  the  writer,  to  the  authoriza- 
tion of  the  ministry  in  this  Latter-day  Dispensation,  in 
order  to  convince  them  of  this  position ;  for  an  equal 
authority  —  seems  to  have  been  the  exact  one — was 
conferred  upon  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  the  president  of  the 
twelve,  as  follows  :  — 

"Verily  I  say  unto  you,  my  servant  Thomas,  thou  art  the 
man  whom  I  have  chosen  to  hold  the  keys  of  my  kingdom  (as 
pertaining  to  the  twelve)  abroad  among  all  nations,  that  thou 
mayest  be  my  servant  to  unlock  the  door  of  the  kingdom  in  all 
places,"  etc. 

"For  unto  you  (the  twelve),  and  those  (the  first  presidency) 
who  are  appointed  with  you  to  be  your  counsellors  and  leaders, 
is  the  power  of  this  priesthood  given  for  the  last  days  and  the 
last  time."  —  Covenants  and  Commandments,  Section  105,  para- 
graphs 7  and  12. 

Here  the  presidency  .and  twelve  are  associated  to- 
gether in  holding  "  the  power  of  this  priesthood  given 
for  the  last  time."  The  "  keys  "  of  the  kingdom  abroad 
among  all  nations  were  conferred  upon  the  president  of 
the  twelve,  and  this  did  not  interfere  in  the  least  with 
the  high  authority,  prerogatives,  and  "keys  "  conferred 
upon  the  president  of  the  church  and  associates,  who 
not  only  preside  over  the  whole  church,  but  become  the 
leaders  and  counsellors  of  the  quorum  of  apostles  in 
their  specific  work  to  all  nations.  The  following  sets 
forth  the  high  and  distinguishing  prerogatives,  in  con- 
tradistinction to  all  others,  of  the  first  president :  — 

"And,  again,  the  duty  of  the  president  of  the  office  of  the 
high  priesthood  is  to  preside  over  the  whole  church,  and  to  be 
like  unto  Moses.  Behold,  here  is  wisdom:  yea,  to  be  a  seer,  a 
revelator,  a  translator,  and  a  prophet,  having  all  the  gifts  of 


\\i>    ri:ii>iiK)OD.  75 


\hi.li   lie  bestows  upon  tlu'  head  of  tlu>  church."  —  < 
'.*  and  Commandments,  Section  64,  paragraph  42. 

The  duties  :tinl  pri\  ile-jvs  of  the  eoun-ellors  are  very 
similar  to  thos,.  of  tin-  president  ;  /.  <  .,  to  aid  and  B88184 
in  any  matters  OODDected  uith  hi-  hiiih  oiii 

Tl:  is  in  harmony  with  whal  i-  \\ritten  in  the 

WB<)(  ovt'iianl^  ami  <  'ommaiitlmrnts,"  Stu-tion  <i, 

a-  r«>ll(.\v-  :  — 


14  1  will  m;ikf  him  [Jolin]  as  a  tlamo  of  fire  ami  a 
angc!  r  for  those?  who  shall  he  heirs  of  salva- 

\ho  clwi-11  on  thi-  «-anh;  ami  I  will    innki-   t!u-«'  [1'etcr]  to 
in  ami  thy  hr«»thrr  .laim-;  ami  unto  you  tli 

-  nf  thi^  mini-try  until  I  coim-." 

wUntoyou  thrri-  1  \\ill  ^\\c  thi-  power  ami  tln»  keys 
«>f  tin*  iiiini-iry  until  I  ct>iue.w  \\'hat  ministry?  To 
jnv>idr  nvrr  tin-  \\imlf  churrli?  No.  It  irafl  llu1  min- 
i-try tor  thr  pnu-lainatinn  of  tin*  irosprl  to  "all  the 
world."  John's  I  rr.juot  \\a-that  "powrrovcr 

"  should  IM?  irivcn  him,  to  thr  end  that  In*  miirht 
in  "thi-  mini-try"  and  "  hrinir  soul>  unto" 
Chri-t.  !!  -  reqoest  was  irramVd,  and  it  uas  >aid  to 
him:  "Thou  -halt  tarry  until  I  romr  in  my  glory, 
and  >halt  propht-y  In-fore  nations,  kindreds,  ton-nr-, 
and  j>»'t,|,lr."  Imlnu'd  with  a  proper  lovr  of  mankind, 
and  a  true  missionary  spirit,  his  appointment  abroad  to 
I  world  i>  here  ronl'miied,  not  to  a  >eat  or  )>re-i- 
den.  .  -ntre,  lint  to  <iU  nations.  (Rev.  x.  11.) 

Peter  desired  that  he  "miiJit  speedily  come  "  into 

Christ's  kingdom.      lioth  of  their  requests  were  granted. 

B8,  it   appears,  made   no    re.jue>t.      Tlie  three  Were 

united  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and    it   wa>  to  them 


76  PRESIDENCY    AND    PKIESTHOOD. 

that  it  was  said  :  "Unto  you  three  I  will  give  this  power 
and  the  keys  of  this  ministry  until  I  come  " ;  that  is,  to 
IK>  and  teach  all  the  nations. 

o 

"  I  will  make  thee  [Peter]  to  minister  for  him  [John] 
and  thy  brother  James." 

There  is  nothing  in  this  specific  statement  concerning 
Peter  not  to  be  found  in  substance  in  the  Gospels.  As 
it  is  well  expressed  by  Dr.  Smith,  that,  from  the  choos- 
ing of  the  apostles,  "Peter  held  the  first  place  among 
them."  "He  is  generally  addressed  by  our  Lord  as 
their  representative."  "He  speaks  in  their  name."  He 
is  here  confirmed  in  his  old  station,  not  only  as  chief  or 
spokesman  among  the  twelve  apostles,  but  also  of  the 
three.  "  I  will  make  thee  to  minister  for  him  [John] 
and  thy  brother  James."  This  recognized  leadership 
of  Peter  in  the  quorum  of  apostles  is  acknowledged  both 
before  the  crucifixion  and  after,  —  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, at  the  house  of  Cornelius,  down  at  Samaria,  at 
the  conference  at  Jerusalem,  and  is  here  confirmed  for 
all  time. 

The  sending  of  Peter  with  an  especial  message  to 
Cornelius  was  not  because  he  was  the  president  of 
the  church,  as  is  virtually  confessed  by  Peter  himself 
at  the  council  at  Jerusalem.  Said  he  :  — 

"  Men  and  brethren,  ye  know  how  that  a  good  while  ago 
God  made  choice  among  us,  that  the  Gentiles  by  my  mouth 
should  hear  the  word  of  the  gospel  and  believe."  —Acts  xv.  7. 

This  shows  that  the  Almighty  made  a  special  "choice" 
of  Peter  from  among  others  to  go  on  this  mission,  and 
it  argues  nothing  for  the  claim  that  he  was  sent  be- 


77 
In-  irafl   the    president  of  the  ehmvh,  and   that   it 

mui  hi>  ri-ht  i>ecan-e  of  his  holding  the  "keyswof  the 

hii'lie-t    otlicc,    or  that    IK-  vrafl    the   only   one    who   held 
"keyi  "   and  authority. 

lillt     the    Jamc-     -poken    of     and     included     with     Peter 

and  John  in  the  al»o\ .-,  i-  n..t  .lame-,  the  Lord'-  In-other, 

uho  i(     Jerusalem,    hut    Jaine-,    the    sou   of 

The  k,-\-  :md    nuthoi'ily  tor  |»roel;iimin^  i\\(> 

•  1    to  th«-   DatlOl  d   upon   tliesr   until 

cim-t  .xlimiiil  come.     I'-ii  James,  the  Lord'- in-other, 

was  a|>|»ointrd  (n  preside  at  ,lrni-;dein.      So  that,  in  the 

•  inir  <»f  thi-    la-l    di-pen-ation,  —  tlu;  ff  di-j>ensation 
!••  tulne>s  of  titne>," —  iVh-r,  Jaine-,  and  John  — 

the   eonneil    to    u  lioin    \\  initted    the   ant liority  to 

preaich   the   «ro.s|)cl   to  all   nation^  —  appeared   and  eon- 

1  the  prie-th<M»d,  and  the  key-  theivof,  in  order 
properly  to  'jualiu  a  mini -try  to  declare  the  re-tored  gOS- 
pel,  —  i  lay  mtvsdage.  This  was  James, 

tin-  SOD  «-f  Xehrdrr,  John,  and  Trter,   --  IVler  -till  con- 
tinuing the  chief  mini-ter  of  the  three. 
This  i.s  in  aeeord  with  the  >tatcment  :  — 

"  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  my  servant  Thomas,  thou  art  the 
man  \\li.ini  1  h;t\,    clio-i-ii  to  hold  thr  krys  of  my  kingdom 

tin-  twelve)  abroad  am«>u^  all  nation^.''  —  Cove- 
1  Comma/I  dm*          I  .irairraphs  G,  7;  Section 

104,  paragraphs  11, 12,  and  i  J 

Aira'm,  it  could   scarcely  l»e  < -on-i-tcntly  held  by  a 
penplr  who  helieve  that   the   .Mcicliisedec  priesthood  is 

a  lineal    prie-tho,)d.  d«-erndiiitir  from  father  to  son,  that 

<»n  the  ascension  of  the  Saviour  into  heaven  the   priesl- 

1    from   the   house  of  Joseph  to  (he 


78  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

house  of  Zebedee,  and  that,  too,  when  it  is  known  that 
the  kindred  of  Jesus  were  in  the  faith  and  devoted  to 
the  great  cause  which  he  established.  Of  right,  it  be- 
longed to  the  house  of  Joseph,  and  James  being  the 
eldest,  after  Jesus,  of  that  family,  save  only  for  trans- 
gression Jehovah  even  could  not  bar  him  of  his  right, 
for  God  cannot  do  unjustly. 

"  The  order  of  this  priesthood  was  confirmed  to  be  handed 
down  from  father  to  son,  and  rightly  belongs  to  the  literal  de- 
scendants of  the  chosen  seed  to  whom  the  promises  were  made. 
This  order  was  instituted  in  the  days  of  Adam,  and  came  down 
by  lineage  in  the  following  manner:  From  Adam  to  Seth,  etc." 
—  Covenants  and  Commandments,  Section  104,  paragraph  18; 
Section  83,  paragraph  2. 

uThe  language  of  the  New  Testament  writers,  in  relation  to 
the  priesthood,"  says  Dr.  Smith,  "  ought  not  to  be  passed  over. 
They  recognized  in  Christ  the  first-born,  the  king,  the  anointed, 
the  representative  of  the  true  primeval  priesthood  after  the 
order  of  Melchisedec."  —  Bible  Dictionary,  page  446. 

In  this  opinion,  the  lineage  —  right  of  the  first-born 
- —  is  recognized,  indicating  that  the  house  of  Joseph  was 
in  the  true  lineal  line  which  had  been  "hid  with  Christ 
in  God." 

This  lineal  right  was  recognized  after  the  ascension  of 
the  Saviour,  and  the  chief  authority  remained  in  the 
house  of  Joseph,  and  hence  James  and  associates  pre- 
sided over  the  whole  church,  while  Peter  held  "  the 
keys  "  of  the  kingdom  (as  pertaining  to  the  twelve)  ,.and 
presided  in  that  council  or  quorum,  and  these  two 
quorums  jointly  held  the  chief  authority,  and  governed 
the  church  at  home  and  abroad. 

The  twelve  apostles,  then,   were  true  to  the  com- 


PRESIDENCY    AND    I'M  !>T1  !<  >OD.  79 


given    thrill.       Thry   \vriit   intn  «U  tin- 
I'   inrllliir.l. 


M  For  nothing  is  plainer.  .!     \V.  II;irdin-,  I>.  !>., 

"than   tl  me-,  the  (whom   xt.    I'.ml  calls  •  our 

ml  reckons  with   IVter  and  John  one  of  the 

pillars  of   ihe  church),  was  the  same  who  pn-i  1.  d  amonjr  the 

doubtless  by  virtue  of   In-  |]  otliee,  and  deter- 

mined the  cause  in  the  synod  of  Jerusalem.     He  was  preferred 

:'••!•  hi<  near  r«-!ai  i.»n>!iij,  to  (  'brisk"  —  Sacred 

As  t'm-thrr  r\i«h-nrr  upon  thr  «jur-li(ni  a^  to  who  was 
tin-    prrsidrnt  <»f  thr   rhurch   at  ,Jrru>alrin, 
thr  inllnwini:  is  siiliinit  t  r<  I  :  — 

M  .hones,  the  Lor-  .«T,  was  l»ishop  <»f  Jerusalem  (i-mn- 

pare  Gal.  xlx.  with   <;al.   i  president   of  the 

ehurch  in  its  earliest  days.    (Acts  \\\.  l:j;  xv.  is.)    Such  a  posi- 

.:red    him    t«»    he    a   resident  of    Jerusalem.   .  .  .   ILe 

If  in  the  intnulin-tiou  thereto  [of  his  Kpistlc] 

ndofthe  l.onl  Jesus  (  'hri-t/     He  who  could 

ihu-  write  \\ith  th.  J  id«-ni  il'h-d  mu<t  have  hcen 

the  most  faiiiou^  person  of  his  name  in  the  church;  must  have 

been  :,  in  a  passage  (<ial.  ii.  «.»)  where  he  places 

-  hoth  hefore  1  John,  calls  him  '  a  pillar  '  of  the 

-tian    Bodety,     And.    airain,  .hide,  when  commencing  his 

alls  himself  the  brother  «>f  James,  with  no  other  mark 

of  distinction.     Here,  too,  the  same  J:mn-s  mu>t  be  intended; 

and  when  BtJude'l  l.pistle  (17,  18)  we  find  him  distin- 

guishing himself  from  the  apostles,  and  as  it  w«  r«   di-claiming 

apostolic  dignity  [one  of  the  twelve].    This  i-  u  ii  would  be 

met  and  .hide  were  hoth  brethren  of  the  Lord,  and  were  not 

apostles;  but  we  should  certainly  expect  one  or  the  other  would 

'ft  some  indication  in  their  letters  had  they  been  of  the  num- 

ber of  the  twelve,  and  most  surely  neither  of  them  would  have 

likely  to  give  i;  i  to  believe  that  he  w.i    not  an  apostle. 

.  Once  more:  The  hrethreii  of  the  Lord  are  expressly  said 


80  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

(John  vii.  5)  not  to  have  believed  on  Jesus  at  a  period  much 
later  in  his  ministry  than  the  appointment  of  the  twelve,  while 
in  the  mention  of  them  in  Acts  i.  14,  there  is  given  first  a  list  of 
the  eleven  who  are  said  to  have  continued  in  prayer  with  the 
women,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  with  his  brethren. 
Such  a  studied  severance  of  the  brethren  of  the  Lord  from  the 
number  of  the  apostles  is  very  significant,  while  the  position  that 
they  held  in  the  list  may  well  be  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was 
only  at  a  late  period  that  they  had  become  disciples  of  Jesus. 
The  change  in  their  opinions  has  been  thought  by  many  to  be 
sufficiently  accounted  for  by  the  statement  of  St.  Paul  (1  Cor. 
xv.  7),  that  after  his  resurrection  Jesus  '  was  seen  of  James.'  " 
—  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  page  562. 

Eusebius,  in  the  second  book  of  his  "Ecclesiastical 
History,"  page  1,  writes  of  the  course  that  was  pursued 
by  the  apostles  after  the  ascension  of  the  Saviour,  as 
follows  :  — 

.  "  First,  in  the  place  of  Judas,  the  traitor,  Matthias  was 
chosen  by  lot.  .  .  .  Then  were  appointed,  with  prayer  and  im- 
position of  hands,  approved  men  unto  the  office  of  deacons. 
Then  James,  called  the  brother  of  our  Lord,  .  .  .  whom  the 
ancients,  on  account  of  the  excellence  of  his  virtue,  surnamed 
'  the  Just,'  was  the  first  to  receive  the  episcopate  of  the  church 
at  Jerusalem.  But  Clement  (who  was  the  companion  of  St. 
Paul),  in  the  sixth  book  of  his  i  Institutions,'  represents  it  thus: 
'Peter  and  James  and  John,  after  the  ascension  of  our  Saviour, 
though  they  had  been  preferred  by  our  Lord,  did  not  contend 
for  the  honor  as  to  who  should  occupy  the  highest  seat,  but 
chose  James  the  Just  as  bishop  of  Jerusalem." 

The, same  author,  in  the  seventh  book  of  the  same 
work,  writes  :  — 

u  The  Lord  imparted  the  gift  of  knowledge  to  James  the  Just, 
to  John  and  Peter,  after  his  resurrection ;  these  delivered  it  to 
the  rest  of  the  apostles,  and  they  to  the  seventy,  of  whom  Bar- 
nabas was  one. 


rui  Sim  m  v   AND   ri;n>i  in  ><  »i>.  81 

•   I'.nt  James,  the  brother  of  the  Lord,  who,  as  tin 
roam  .<*,   was  snrnaiih  d    tin-   .lust  by  all  from  the 

days  of  our  Lord  until  now,  r»  ument  of  tin 

ehuivh  with  tin-  apostles."  TO!  r.n  •>.  pure  76. 

"  1  hen  i.y  11  8  brother 

!»n  and  son  of  Zebcdce,  by  beheading;  and,  finally,  .Ja 
who  first  obtained  tin-  episcopal  P»  after  the 

ascension 

••  r  •;•  t  he  church  at  Jerus  .  -  ananimotisly  delivered  bj 

»es,  the  Lord's  brother,  was  the  first 

,;,   |h,.n.0f."—   r.lM.M 

UH«   'A    -    Ordmined   l«y   tln»    apo^tli-s    innn-  ifi»-r  our 

'•*  crnriiixion."  —  ^  »>HL 

These  witnesses  all  unite  in  Lri\  inir  M    Mlx«'  trsiiinony, 


i:   that    tin  •!•••    VTMfl    a    pi-r-'hlrnl    in    the*   church   at 
.Icru-alrm,  \\liu   \\:i^   n«»t    of  the   uuiul»c-r  of  the  twelve 
rtles,  an«l  that    it   WM   "  .lainrs,  the   Lord's  l»rothri-." 
As  il6«  «  inn.  the  tullnw- 

inu  OOCOn    ill  the  \\  ritin-j-s  ,,!'  (  'l.-inen-,   \\  ho  \\a<  01  .....  1 
the  mosl  ancient  ofur';  hurch  history:  — 

4-  That  thi-  \v;i>  d  'iar  h->nnr  lo  £  I,  in 

regard  that  he  was   ih«-   i,:«.ii..  •    irist   .  .  .   N-nif  time 

,;ion,  the 

apostles  and  disciples  of  our  Lord,  M<  many  as  were  yet  in  being, 

iier  \vith  nnr  Saviour's  kinsmen  (several  of  whom  were 

live)  toe  >out  choosing  a  successor  in  St.  James's 

room,  and  tln-y  unanimously  agreed  upon  >imeou,  son  of  Cleo- 

pas,  our  >a\i'.i]t-'<  c(.u^in  according  to  the  tlesh,  thinking  him 

th«-  iiio-t   I'M  and  worthy  person/'  —  Anii<iuiti<*  ofChrixi  ia  ?»////, 

page  58.    (See  also  "Christian  Anti<piiti«--/'  hy  r.iu^hain,\'ol.  I., 

page  Hi.) 

i  in  :  — 

11  There  \\ei-e  yet  livim:  (  A.  I>.  KK))  of  the  family  of  our  Lord, 
tin-   ir:  in  h  hildii  n  of  Judas  (Jude),  called  the   brother  of  our 

•Appendix   D. 


82  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

Lord  according  to  the  flesh.  .  .  .  They  ruled  the  churches,  both 
as  witnesses  and  relatives  of  the  Lord."  —  EUSEBIUS,  Ecclesi- 
astical History,  XX.  1. 

These  citations  of  history  from  the  writings  of  the 
early  Fathers,  some  of  whom  were  contemporaneous 
with  the  apostles  themselves,  confirm  the  position  taken, 
that  James,  "  the  Lord's  brother,"  succeeded  Jesus  in 
the  high  ofEce  of  chief  "  apostle  and  high  priest  "  in  the 
Melchisedec  priesthood  on  earth,  and  that,  too,  by  an 
agreement  had  between  the  apostles  themselves.  That, 
notwithstanding  the  contention  had  by  the  twelve  pre- 
vious to  the  crucifixion  as  to  who  should  be  the  greatest 
when  the  Saviour  should  be  taken  away,  James  was 
appointed  to  the  office  of  "  chief  steward,"  and  presided 
over  the  entire  church.  That  the  apostles  sustained 
him  in  that  position.  They  "contended  not  as  to  who 
should  occupy  the  highest  seat,  but  chose  James." 

There  is  an  office,  therefore,  in  the  order  of  the 
church  established  by  Christ  higher  than  those  of  the 
twelve  apostles,  which  they  respected,  and  by  unani- 
mous consent  appointed  a  most  fit  person  to  occupy 
that  position. 

We  have,  then,  as  set  out  in  the  institution  of 
Moses,  — 

(1.)  The  Melchisedec  and  the  Aaronic  priesthoods, 
Moses  being  the  chief  apostle  and  high  priest  and  prophet 
or  president,  supported  by  two  aids,  — Aaron  and  Hur. 

(2.)    Twelve  princes^  chiefs  of  the  tribes. 

(3.)    The  seventy  elders. 

(4.)  Aaron,  officiating  in  "the  priest's  office,"  as 
the  high  priest  of  the  Levitical  order. 


PRE8IDKNO      \M»    l'i;il>T!K)OD.  83 


le>ser  prie-t-  ami  Levites,  etc. 
Under  Christ,  as  set  out  in  the  Xe\\  Testament,  there 
wereeommitted  the  Melehisedecand  the  Aaronie  prie>t- 
U,  with  — 
(1.)    Jesus  as  "  the  apo-tle  ami   lii^h  priest"  ami 

prophel. 

(2.)    He    was   succeeded    in    otliee,   in   tlie  ehmvh 
militant,    l.y   James,    wthe     !  !>n»tlier,"   who   \\a- 

ai.lr.l  liy  two  assistant-,  who  were,  in  all   |>n>l»al>ility, 
Jn.le  and  Silas. 

.)    The  quorum  <>t*  th«'  t  \\elve  apostles. 
(4.)    The  seventy  el.lors. 
(5.)    The  elders. 

)     lii^hops. 
(7.)     Priests. 
(8.)   Teachers. 
i    Deacons. 

(1<>.)  Hiirh  j  n-ie-ts  evangelists,  and  pastors,  set  in 
their  respective  places,  whoso  exact  positions,  in  point 
:  -ment,  are  not  definitely  set  forth  in  the  liihle. 
The  fundamental  doctrines  lu-lieved  in  and  taught  hy 
tin-  Jerusalem  dharoU  were:  (1.)  Faith  iu  God.  (2.) 
Faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  (3.)  In  the  Holy  Ghost.  (4.) 
Belief  in  the  doctrine  of  repentance.  (f>.)  In  baptism. 
(6.)  In  the  laying  on  of  hands.  (7.)  In  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead;  and  (8.)  Eternal  jmlirmnit.  (9.) 
The  Lord's  supper.  (10.)  The  washing  of  feet.  These, 
together  with  an  liumMc  and  godly  walk,  including  all 
of  the  excellences  set  out  in  the  moral  code,  with  the 
endowment  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  realized  and  enjoyed 
in  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  —  such  as  faith,  wisdom, 


84  PRESIDENCY    AND    PKIESTHOOD. 

knowledge,  dreams,  prophecies,  tongues,  interpreta- 
tions, visions,  healings,  etc.,  —  were  some  of  the  chief 
or  cardinal  things  belonging  to  the  "house  of  God," 
as  set  up  by  Christ,  and  made  the  "light  of. the  world," 
the  "pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth."  This  was  the 
heritage  bequeathed  by  Christ  and  the  apostles  and 
saints  to  the  world  in  their  day,  and  which  was  to  be 
perpetuated  so  long  as  a  proper  faith  and  commendable 
purity  should  attach  to  those  professing  a  belief  therein. 
The  laws  of  initiation  into  this  church  fold  were  beau- 
tifully set  out  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  by  the  Apostle 
Peter  while  addressing  a  congregation  of  Jews,  who 
became  convicted  of  their  transgressions,  — "pricked  in 
their  heart,"  —  and  cried,  "Men  and  brethren,  what 
shall  we  do?"  "Repent,"  said  the  apostle,  "and  be 
baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ 
for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  For  the  promise  is  unto  you,  and 
to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as 
many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call."  (Acts  ii. 
38, .39.)  (See  also  Chap.  viii.  12  ;  xxii.  16  ;  x.  47,  48  ; 
xvi.  15  ;  viii.  38  ;  xix.  5,  6 ;  Heb.  vi.  2.) 


UIAITKI;  vii. 

nil:.  11.        Tin  .!•   l'i:i  \  \i.r\ci:   «.r    i  in.   MAN 

OP  SIN,  OK  MYSM 

Tins    beautiful    Mrirani/ation   of    the   church    of  JeSUS 

('hri>t    is    mo-t    Mrikinirly    represented    in    her   replete, 

1,  Mild    chaste    Mate,   l.y  John    the   Ue\  e- 

lator,  m, der  the    li-jure   nf  a  woman   "clotlic(l    with    the 

-mi,  ami  the  iinum  under  h-  md  upon  her  he;id  a 

rro\\n  of  twelve  rtars**1     ( \i<  \ .  \\\.  1 . ) 

The  \vmnan  synilM>li/cd   the   church   in   its   primitive 

mid   pure  .state;   the  moon   under   her  !'«  «t    K -pr« -cnted 

that  the  i  y  (  liie  law)  had  passrd  MUMV,    -  W9M 

no  longer  in  The  church  of  Chri>t  stoo<l  M!><,\  ,• 

the  law  WM-  a-  the  light  of  the  moon 

compMi-ed  \\  ith  th  it  of  the  sun  in  the  distinction  het\\« •« -n 
the  law  and  the  jrospcl.  The  perfect  law  of  liberty 
(the  gospel)  li:i  n  eMaMi-hed,  the  law  of  .\foses 

(the  ">clioolma>trr,w  the  imperfect  code)  is  shown  to 
IKJ  inoperative,  null,  and  void. 

IVinu:  clothed  with  the  sun  emMemized  the  irlory, 
power.  in-pirati(»n,  liirht,  and  knowled^?  with  which 
the  church  was  endowed  l>y  Jesus  Christ,  its  great 
Ilrad,  l>eing  illnminated  and  glorified  with  his  presence, 
authority,  and  inspiration. 

"For  it  pleased  the  Father  that  in  him  should  all  fulness 
dwell."— Col.  i.  19. 


86  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"  And  gave  him  to  be  the  head  over  all  things  to  the  church, 
which  is  his  body."  —  Eph.  i.  22,  23. 

"Now  ye  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and  members  in  particular." 
1  Cor.  xii.  27. 

To  be  "clothed"  upon,  in  a  gospel  sense,  is  to  be 
adorned  with  commendable  graces  ;  so  we  read  :  — 

"  And  to  her  was  granted  that  she  should  be  arrayed  in  fine 
linen,  clean  and  white:  for  the  fine  linen  is  the  righteousness  of 
saints."  — Eev.  xix.  8. 

The  sun  being  the  great  centre  of  the  solar  system, 
around  which  the  planets  and  worlds  revolve  in  their 
order  and  succession,  and  from  which  they  receive 
their  light  and  heat  and  life,  it  is  a  most  beautiful  and 
fitting  representation  of  that  effulgence  and  power  with 
which  the  church  was  endowed  by  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness, the  great  centre  of  the  Christian  system,  and 
who  is  its  true  light  and  life  and  inspiration.  The 
twelve  stars  that  adorned  her  head  represented  the 
twelve  apostles,  or  apostolic  seats,  which  were  her 
diadem  of  authority,  by  which  she  was  to  be  repre- 
sented to  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  built  up  a 
"glorious -church."  They  were  to  continue  "  till  we  all 
come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith."  (Eph.  iv.  13.) 

This  church,  as  represented,  was  the  messenger  of 
the  new  covenant  to  proclaim  peace  and  glad  tidings 
among  men,  — God's  constituted  order  and  authority  for 
the  enlightenment  and  salvation  of  the  world.  Thus 
clothed  and  crowned,  she  was  commissioned  for  all 
time,  if  loyal  to  her  great  Head,  to  extend  her  banner  — 
the  gospel  of  peace  —  wherever  the  sons  of  men  chose 
to  dwell.  She  was  admonished,  however,  to  guard 


PRKM!»i:\«   V     AM)     l'l;il>l  III  M  .!>.  -87 

:iLr:tin-t  worldly  M<1   intluenccx,  and  to  hold  on  to 

her  iicliiiir  and    beautiful   graces;  olheru  i-e 

!  would  take  away  her  mairnitieent  adorn'mirs,  with- 
draw the  p.  TV  nf  hi-  profiler,  remove  her 
crown  of  authority.  :in<l  lra\e  her  de-poiled  of 
her  cnehantinir  Ix-anty,  |  DM  a  \\amlrivrinr\ilr, 
and  to  in  ith  tin-  toll!*-,  sins,  and  plca>ures  of  the 
wurld. 

Was  she  constant,  purr,  and   faithful  to  hrr  a 
NM-ni    that    all    mi-lit     riTii^ni/f    her    hy   her 

Qt         Did   >ln- carrfully  iruard  her  JMTXMI  aLrain>( 

all   tin-   .  of   vice    and    immorality,    iv-i-t 

t]ie   trinphi!  id   and    tin*  -rduetive   inHn- 

•  •s  and  wiles  of  the  \\i.  k«d  one?    No.     Notwith- 

>tan«linir   h«  :  endo\\mrnt    of  power,  !"--iuty,  ;md 

inspiration,  sho  it  as  yet  a  prohationer.     Her  j>atl, 

l«-d  aloiiLr  I'V  the  \\  orld's  grrat    pleMUTefl  and  h.-xi,!,.  H,,. 

ip  of  the   rruel   and   the  \viekrd.      >ln-  was   cireum- 
y    hand,    and    Huhjeetc'd    to    all   of    the 
embarraaBmetlte,  tmiptMtion-,  and  entiet-ments  (-..111111011 
irth   lit'.-.      Suprr-tition,    idolatry,   !)iL:.'tiy,  intoler- 
ance, and  enthr.  .  and 

-dainhit;  \erthrow.      Though  power- 

ful and  Capable  it'  she  I. ut  \\illed,  -he  wa-  not  constant. 
In  an  evil  hour,  through  the  infatuation^  and  deeeiv- 
a!»leiifs>  of  the  \\orld,  she  was  allured  fiom  her  exalted 
>tation,  and  >inned  and  fell;  and  (•  k  away  her 

fiful  di'  otl'  her  crown  of  authority  ;   took 

away  the  glory,  power,  and  inspiration  that  made  IHT 
the  lii:ht  of  the  world  and  of  chief  worth  to  men  :  and 
she  was  left  to  wander  in  exile,  in  blindne.o,  uncertainty, 


88  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

and  doubt  in  the  wilderness  of  sin.     The  "great  red 
dragon"  cast  "  water  as  a  flood  after  the  woman  "   (the 
fierce  persecutions  of  the  uncircumcised),  and  she  was 
driven   into   the  wilderness.     (Rev.    xii.   3,  15,   16. )£ 
"Her  child  was  caught  up  unto  God,  and  to  his  throne." 
(Rev.  sxii.    5.)     This   represented   the    priesthood  or 
-  "  kingdom  of  God."    (Inspired  translation,  verse  seven.) 
"The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  in  word,  but  in  power."- 
(ICor.  iv.  20.) 

Divested  of  her  power  and  rejected  of  God,  like  Saul 
under  sin,  she  courted  the  power,  friendship,  and  in- 
spiration of  the  world,  and  by  and  by  she  is  seen  trans- 
formed and  exhibited  in  a  proud,  haughty,  and  unchaste 
state  upon  a  hydra-headed  horned  beast,  as  follows  :  —  > 

"  So  he  carried  me  away  in  the  spirit  into  the  wilderness:  and 
I  saw  a  woman  sit  upon  a  scarlet  colored  beast,  full  of  names  of 
blasphemy,  having  seven  heads  and  ten  horns.  And  the  woman 
was  arrayed  in  purple  and  scarlet  color,  and  decked  with  gold 
and  precious  stones  and  pearls,  having  a  golden  cup  in  her  hand 
full  of  abominations  and  filthinessof  her  fornication:  and  upon 
her  forehead  was  a  name  written,  MYSTEKY,  BABYLON" 
THE  GREAT,  THE  MOTHER  OF  HARLOTS  AND  ABOM- 
INATIONS OF  THE  EARTH."  —Rev.  xvii.  3,  4.  5. 

What  an   amazing   contrast   is   this  to  her  original  t 
splendor,  glory,  and   beauty !     How  changed   in  her  , 
habi laments  !     How  she  is  fallen  !     No  longer  the  sun 
adorns  her  person,  or  a  crown  of  stars  her  head;  no 
longer  the  pure  and  chaste  virgin  of  primitive  days,  when 
James,  Peter,   John,  Paul,  Matthew,  and  others  were 
honored  with  seats  in  her  crown  of  authority  ;  but  gold 
now,  and  pearls,  and  precious  stones,  and  scarlet  are 


AND    i'i;n>i  n«  » 


heradornini:-.  w  ith  a  golden  cup  in  her  hand  "  full  of  her 

•ui  nation-."     In  t!ii-  a\s  fill,  degenerate,  polluted,  and 

diabolical  Mate  -In-  the  kin::-  of  tin* 

ill.       (  K  like    the    eyes   of    a 

111:111"    were    iriven    her    for    lirr    li^ht,    "  and    a    inoutli 

kinir  UT'-at   thiirj-  "  a-  IHT  lau  L'i\  er,      (  Dan.  \  ii.  8.) 

|     iinr.l    t<»  hrr-dl'  tlic    ri-lil    to    univiT>al  cm; 
seized  tin*  realm   of  i  the  proud  title 

'infallil.ilit  . 

Hi-  \\ritinir  of  the  iviirn  of  thi-  <|iieen  of  \ 

and   u-urpation,    in:  .   and    crime,    present   Midi 

a    fearful    picture    of    the    depravity    of    man    that     to 

I!      I-     tO      fafi     A  •  :f.»uuded     at     the 

awful    \\icketluosofthe    human  heart    and    cruelty  of 
human  kind.       K'mTsof   hlood    Houed,  the    OOOBCfonOei 

«•!'    men    \\rre     pr064  .     their    l»odir>    torlured    and 

Imrned    under     the     mercile^     and    \51e     rule    of   (his 
"M()THi:i;   OF   IIAKLO'l 

No   wonder  th      S          lit   d«clared,    l»y    the    nnririnir 
foresight  of  hi^  in>|>iraliun,  that  "from  the  days  of  John 

P.apti-l   until    now  the    kingdom  of   heavm  Miil'i-rrtli 

violen-  •  ,    and    the     violent     take     it     hy    foi  Uatt. 

\i.    liM:   and   that    Paul    -hould   sa\  iii\-tcryof 

iniquity   doth   already  work  :   only  lie   who   now  letteth 

will  let,  until  lie   l>e  taken  out  of  the  way."      (2  Th 

.1.  7.)      That  the  "time  would  come  when   they  would 

not  endure  >ound   doctrine;    hut    .    .    .    turn  away  their 

;  ith,  and    .    .    .    he    turned    unto   faUes." 

•J  Tim,  h  .   1.)      That  ,  after  hi-  departinir,  ">hall  griev- 

ous \\ol\e-  enter  in  amonir  you,  not    >pariiiLr  the  lloek." 

LS  xx.  29.)     Again:  "Let  no  uian  deceive  you  by 


90  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

any  means  :  for  that  day  shall  not  come  "  [the  day  of 
the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man] ,  "  except  there  come  a 
foiling  away  first."  (2  Thess.  ii.  3.)  (See  2  Tim. 
iii.  1,  5.) 

Mysticism,  cruelty,  blindness,  and  spiritual  darkness 
continued  in  accumulation  until  the  whole  world  was 
enshrouded  in  it.  "The  Christians  turned  heathen 
again,  and  had  only  a  dead  form  left."  ( JOHN  WESLEY.) 
The  most  "abominable  idolatry,"  depravity,  and  crime 
ensued  until  the  beast  held  undisputed  sway  over  all 
"kindreds,  and  tongues,  and  nations."  (Rev.  xiii.  7.) 
(See  Dan.  vii.  21 ;  Isa.  ii.  5,  6.) 

Concerning  the  rise  of  this  evil  power,  Paul  wrote  :  — 

"Let  no  man  deceive  you  by  any  means  [that  the  day  of 
Christ  is  at  hand]:  for  that  day  shall  not  come,  except  there 
come  a  falling  away  first,  and  that  man  of  sin  be  revealed,  the 
son  of  perdition;  who  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself  above  all 
that  is  called  God,  or  that  is  worshipped;  so  that  he  as  God 
sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God,  shewing  himself  that  he  is  God."  — 
2  Thess.  ii.  3,  4. 

"For  the  mystery  of  iniquity  doth  already  work:  only  he 
who  now  letteth  will  let,  until  he  be  taken  out  of  the  way."  — 
2  Thess.  ii.  7.  (See  whole  chapter.) 

Eev.  Isaac  J.  Lansing,  A.  M.,  commenting  upon  the 
subject-matter  here  quoted,  in  very  fitting  words 

says :  — 

"  I  do  not  affirm  that  the  sacred  writer  foretells  the  papacy 
in  these  prophetic  words;  but  we  risk  nothing  in  claiming  that 
the  description  actually  outlines  the  pretensions  and  assump- 
tions of  the  pope,  and  that  Romanism  allows  to  him  nearly  all, 
if  not  all,  of  the  presumptuous  claims  that  are  here  indicated. 
The  lives  of  many  of  the  popes  certainly  correspond  to  the  defi- 
nition —  the  man  of  sin  —  in  their  scandalous  wickedness  and 


PRESIDENCY    A\D    I'l;  1 1  >  1  I  h  K)l>.  91 

immorality.  Their  pride  and  pretensions  are  not  unfittingly 
delineated  in  the  word-,  *uho  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself 
above  all  that  is  culled  <.«>d,  or  that  is  worshipped';  since,  as  I 
shall  show,  the  pope  opposes  all  other  forms  of  religion  except 
the  Roman  Catholic,  and  t  \  claims,  so  th.  lara- 

demand ..:'  I  toman  Catholics  as  absolute  respect  and  obedi- 
ence as  though  they  were  the  very  words  of  God.     He  certainly 
:h  in  the  tempi.-  «.f  <,.>«!';  and  if  he  does  not  say,  4  I  am 
.'  he  presumptuously  asfeerts,  in  hi-  claims  to  infallibility, 
the  possession  of  attributes  belongiu  alone.0 —  Itoman- 

t*m  and  the  liepublic,  page  * 

"The  mystery  of  iniquity"  began  to  work  in  1'anl's 
day  to  corrupt,  rhaiiLr«-,  alienate,  and  Hl'rrt  the  over- 
throw and  nttrr  ruin  of  that  l»rantiful  onler  and  faith 
of  which  he  was  a  chief  advocate. 

!    \\liat    -ay  others   rono-rnin;:   tlh>    Lrivat    aposl- 
that  ensued  afler  the  (ieatli  of  tin-  ap«  »-t  !«•-'.' 
Says  the  historian  Mar-li  :  — 

1  '"!•  a  ;    ' .    ;    :        -lit  six  years  after  the  ascension  of  ('!> 
the  apostles  continued  to  preach  the  gospel  to  t!  only, 

wherever  they  cMiild   find  them  throughout  the  Unman  \'.\\ 
l»ut,  in  general,  they  rejecte«l  it.  and  bitterly  opposed  and  \> 
cuted  all  who  proclaimed  it.     The  Lord,  then-Tore,  direeted  the 
apostles  to  turn  their  attention  t<»  .tiles."  —  MARSH'S 

Eccltsiast  ry,  page  1.VJ. 

u  Such  was  the  moral  state  and  character  of  the  primitive 
churches.  But  they  kept  not  their  glory.  The  gold  soon  be- 
came dim.  Some  deceivers  wen  among  them  who  corrupted 
the  mass.  False  teachers  early  introduced  errors  in  doctrine. 
Believers  grew  cold  and  lukewarm,  and  through  the  power  of 
indwelling  corruption  and  the  temptations  of  the  world  fell  into 
very  reprehensible  sins.  A  vain  and  deceitful  philosophy  came 
:»g  the  church  at  Corinth.  .  .  .  Among  the  seven 
promising  and  excellent  churches  of  Asia  there  was  scarce  one 
that  retained,  at  the  end  of  forty  years,  her  original  purity  of 


92  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

doctrine   or  practice.      And   yet  it  was  the  golden  age  of  the 
church."  —Ibid.,  page  159. 

Again :  — 

"The  history  of  the  church  of  Christ,  from  the  close  of  the 
first  century  to  the  commencement  of  the  fourth,  is  one  of  con- 
tinual enlargement,  but  of  gradual  and  deep  declension  in  doc- 
trine and  holy  practice,  and  of  awful  suffering  from  the  fires  of 
persecution.  It  was  not,  as  it  had  been  under  the  ancient  dis- 
pensation, a  distinct  nation,  governed  by  its  own  rulers  and  laws, 
appointed  by  God,  but  it  was  composed  of  a  vast  multitude  who 
lived  in  all  parts  of  the  Koman  Empire  who  had  been  persuaded 
to  renounce  idolatry  and  enlist  under  the  banner  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  who  were  united  in  small  associations  or 
churches." — Ibid.,  page  169. 

"Almost  proportionate  with  the  extension  of  Christianity 
was  the  decrease  in  the  church  of  vital  piety.  A  philosophizing 
spirit  among  the  higher,  and  a  wild  monkish  superstition  among 
the  lower  orders,  fast  took  the  place,  in  the  third  century,  of  the 
faith  and  humility  of  the  first  Christians.  Many  of  the  clergy 
.became  very  corrupt  and  excessively  ambitious.  .  .  .  Useless 
rites  and  ceremonies  continued  to  increase.  The  minds  of  men 
were  filled  with  the  Oriental  superstition."  —  Ibid.,  page  185. 

Again :  — 

"The  revolution  under  Constantine  (beginning  of  the  fourth 
century)  was  one  from  which  almost  everything  which  the 
Christian  values  might  be  hoped.  But,  alas!  such  is  the  de- 
pravity of  human  nature,  it  was  one  in  which  almost  everything 
of  evangelical  worth  was  lost.  Constantine  brought  the  world 
into  the  church,  and  the  church  was  paralyzed.  The  number  of  \ 
nominal  Christians  were  increased  a  thousand-fold. . .  .  Immense  / 
and  splendid  temples  were  erected  and  richly  endowed,  and  a> 
great  priesthood  was  regularly  organized  and  liberally  supported. 
The  body  existed,  but  the  spirit  had  fled.  Constantine  set  up  an 
immense  national  church,  but  the  humility,  faith,  and  the  spirit- 
uality of  the  age  of  Poly  carp  had  passed  away."  —  Id.,  page  198. 


ri;i  HM  \<  v    AND   ri:n.-i  ih  •«  >i>.  93 

«*T1  the  lil'tli.  .ole  of  the  sixth  em- 

iastical  history  finds  but  little  that 

engages  his  attention.     Tin-   chmvh,   \\a-hed,  sanctified,  an<l 
ju-tinYd  in  the  name  of  tin-  Lord  .' 
.God,  w  scarcely  visible."  —  .ge  208. 

•   I.-  :    :«  tin  close  o{  t  world  was  at  ease, 

and  superstition  had  made  m«»st  rapid  strides.     'I  mass 

of  ministers  were  excessively  ignorant,  and,  led  away  1»\  tin 
strongest  fantasies,  did  little  but  di  1  the 

people.     A  thousand   rites  v.  ich  one  of  which 

was  supposed  to  have  some  wonderful  A  thousand  i 

were  produced,  whose  t«»in -h,  it  was  said,  could  In  al  the  body 
and  tin-  i  i  lie  most  marvellous  frat>,  ralh-d  miracles, 

were  performed.    The  mont  superstitious  services  \\ . 

Tin  images  of  saints  were  worshipprd 

umlrr  the  !>•  !n-f   that  su«-li  worship  drew  down  their  propii 
presence/'  —  Ibid.,  page  'J 

"The  Christian  church  was  scarcely  formed  when,  in  differ- 
ent plai-rs,  there  Started  up  certain  j  ^f^j 
not  satisfied  with   the   simplicity  of  that    religion  which 
taught  by  the  apostles,  meditated  changes  of  d<><  i 

and  set  up  a  new  religion  ilniwn  from  their  own  licenti<»u^ 
imaginations."  —  MOSIIUM'S  Church  History,  page  1(J<;,  (  hap- 
V. 

hristian  religion  was,  in  its  first  rise,  <  !  in 

several  places  by  the  mixture  of  an  impious  and  chimerical 
philosophy  with  its  pure  and  sublime  doctrines."  —  /(/.,  page 
11J.  '  ;  araijraph  10. 

"  Hy  the  middle  of  the  second  century  the  councils  and 
4  synods'  had  *  changed  the  whole  face  of  the  church,'  ami  g 
new  name."  — J6id.,  page  H">,  chapter  II.,  paragraph  2. 

Again :  — 

"  There  is  no  institution  so  pure  and  excellent  whieh  the  cor- 

•»n  and  fully  of  mankind  will  not,  in  time,  alter  for  the 

worse,  and  load  it  with  additions  t  10  its  nature  and 

original  design.    Such,  in  a  particular  manner,  was  the  fate  of 


94  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

Christianity  in  this  (the  second)  century;  many  unnecessary 
rites  and  ceremonies  were  added  to  the  Christian  worship." 
Ibid.,  page  162. 

Further,  concerning  the  church  immediately  succeed- 
ing the  apostles,  Waddington  says  :  — 

uln  the  first  place,  it  is  certain  that,  from  the  moment  in 
which  the  early  churches  attained  a  definite  shape  and  consist- 
ency, and  assumed  a  permanent  form  of  discipline,  —  as  soon  as 
the  death  of  the  last  of  the  apostles  had  deprived  them  of  the 
more  immediate  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  left  them, 
under  God's  especial  care  and  providence,  to  the  uninspired 
direction  of  mere  men,  —  so  soon  had  every  church,  respecting 
which  we  possess  any  distinct  information,  adopted  the  episco- 
pal form  of  government."-— WADDINGTON,  Vol.  II.,  page  20. 

Mr.  Jones,  the  learned  historian,  makes  the  following 
statements  concerning  the  condition  of  the  Christian 
faith  in  the  days  of  Constantino  :  — 

"  Now,  they  began  to  new-model  the  Christian  church,  the 
government  of  which  was,  as  far  as  possible,  arranged  conform- 
ably to  the  government  of  the  state.  The  emperor  himself 
assumed  the  title  of  bishop,  and  claimed  the  power  of  regulating 
its  external  affairs;  and  he  and  his  successors  convened  coun- 
cils, in  which  they  presided,  and  determined  all  matters  of  dis- 
cipline. 

"  The  bishops  corresponded  to  those  magistrates  whose  juris- 
diction was  confined  to  single  cities;  the  metropolitans,  to  the 
proconsuls  or  presidents  of  provinces;  the  primates,  to  the 
emperors,  vicars,  each  of  whom  governed  one  of  the  imperial 
provinces.  Canons  and  prebendaries  of  .Catholic  churches 
took  their  rise  from  the  societies  of  the  ecclesiastics,  which 
Eusebius,  bishop  of  Yerciel,  and  after  him  Augustine,  formed 
in  their  houses,  and  in  which  these  prelates  were  styled  their 
fathers  and  masters."  —  Gospel  Beflector,  page  10. 


n:i>ii>i  \«  ^     vM)    ri;ii.-nh>OD.  95 


"  The  day  of  light  —  so  illustrious  in  its  beginning  of  [Chris- 
tianity] —became  cloudy.     Tlu-  ;  and  darkened  the 

t-n  for  a  long  peri-  itness  of  tin 

glory  t  men  groped  in  • 

ness.      Us  tin  !  tin-  >e\vnte<  r.th  century  that 

cloud  was  broken  in  fragments;  and  though  the  heavens  of 
gosp  ire   still   obscur.  d  hy  many  clouds,  —  the  8C« 

M  names,  —  the  promise  is  that  4at  evmii 
be  light.'    The  primitive  gospel,  iu  its  effulgence  er,  is 

out    in  -plendor  to   r«  •  the 

world."  —  AI.KX.   CAXFIIKI  .  .    I  /'story  of  the    Disciples,  by 
H  \Yi.r.y,  page  36. 

4>  I  present  adm:-  D  of  tin-  kiiiLrd«nii  nf  lirav.  n 

a  great  apostasy  has  o«  i  hy  th.    ipostfes.     A- 

NI«»iint  /inn/  th«'  | 

-  called  *1  /  the  :intit\pe  is  to  be 

royed  by  a  Cynis  that  knows  nnt  (..-d.     ^h,-  i^  t.»  lall  l.\  ili«- 

SWOP  : 

The  '  M«-n  undrr  foot,  and  tl 

filled  with  corrupt  inn-      It   i-.  md  n  «•;'  thieves;  but 

•i^  is  the  I»rd  (io<l  that  judges  th.    |  I  ill  that 

great  and  not  come,  \vr  <-annot  fi.  \\\  tin- 

prophetic  word  anticipate  am  inal 

gospel,  nor  a  :   all  tl»«-  institutions  of  the 

kin-j-;  -  n    in    t: 

CAM 

44  The  apostate  church  —  Uahylon  EotheT  of 

•ts  —  «'h;i  i  i    the   \s  hole    entire 

Mian  institution,  —the  ai>O8tolic  constitution 
orc<>\  •      KFK  LL. 

••  Hut,  allowing  a  few  exceptions,  we  are  authorized  to  say 
vhole  world  lieth  in  wickedness;  yea,  in  the  wicked  one, 
as  the  wo;  .  the  whole  heathen  world; 

yes,  <  :<>r  where  is  the  difference 

in  a  few  externals?     See  with  \our  eye*.     Look  into 

there  an  .  ms  and  heathens,  too. 

Whieh  have  more  justice,  men-y.  and  truth,  tin-  (  'hri<tians  or 
heathens?    Which  are  more  corrupt,  infernal,  and  devilish  in 


96  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

their  temper  and. practices,  the  English  or  the  Indians?  Which 
has  desolated  whole  countries,  and  clogged  the  rivers  with  their 
dead  bodies?  O  sacred  name  of  Christian!  O  earth,  earth, 
how  dost  thou  groan  under  the  curse  of  thy  Christian  inhabit- 
ants! "  — $erraon,  by  JOHN  WESLEY,  from  2  Tim.  ii.,  RICHARD 
WATSON'S  History  of  Wesley,  page  58. 

"  The  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  were  no  longer  to  be  found 
in  the  Christian  church,  because  the  Christians  had  turned 
heathens  again,  and  had  only  a  dead  form  left."  —  Sermon  94. 

"  How  early  and  how  powerfully  did  the  '  mystery  of  iniquity ' 
work  in  the  church  at  Corinth.  Not  only  schisms,  heresies,  ani- 
mosities, fierce  and  bitter  contentions,  but  actual  open  sins. 
We  meet  with  abundant  proof  that  in  all  the  churches  the  tares 
grew  up  with  the  wheat,  and  that  the  '  mystery  of  iniquity '  did 
ever  work  in  a  thousand  forms.  When  James  wrote  his  Epistle 
the  tares  had  produced  a  plentiful  harvest.  There  were  envy, 
strife,  confusion,  and  every  evil  work.  Whoso  reads  with 
attention  will  be  inclined  to  believe  that  the  tares  had  well-nigh 
choked  the  wheat  even  at  this  early  period;  and  that,  among  the 
most  of  them,  no  more  than  the  form  of  godliness  was  left."  — 
Sermon  96,  by  JOHN  WESLEY. 

u  We  have  been  apt  to  imagine  that  the  primitive  church  was 
all  excellence  and  perfection;  and  such,  without  doubt,  it  was 
on  the  '  day  of  Pentecost ' ;  but  how  soon  did  the  fine  gold  be- 
come dim;  how  soon  was  the  wine  mixed  with  the  water  ;  how 
little  time  before  the  Christians  were  scarcely  to  be  distinguished 
from  the  heathens ! 

"  And  if  so  bad  in  the  first  century,  we  cannot  suppose  it  to 
have  been  any  better  in  the  second.  Undoubtedly  it  grew  worse 
and  worse."  — Ibid. 

"  A  Christian  nation,  a  Christian  city  (according  to  the  ancient 
pattern),  was  no  longer  to  be  found.  Has  the  case  altered  since 
the  Reformation?  How  little  are  any  of  these  reformed  Chris- 
tians better  than  the  heathen!  Have  they  more  (I  will  not  say 
communion  with  God,  although  there  is  no  Christianity  without 
it),  but  have  they  more  justice,  mercy,  and  truth  than  the  in- 
habitants of  China  and  Hindostan? 


umnroi    \\i>  PBIBSI  H<>CD.  97 

I  doubt  whether  you  ever  knew  I  ,n  in  your  life.     I 

belit  <  .  .ui'l  p.-rhap*  N..U  Mt-Nvr  will;  for\«»u 

will  not  find  tin-in  in  the  great  and  gay  world,  and  M«>M 
(  'hrMiun*  but  they  that  walk  as  Christ  walked;  though  they  are 
\«  t  ili.  v  are  as  far  from  it  as  hell  is  from 
••n."  —  / 

comparison  of  tin-  pivsnit  state  of  Christianity  with 
what  it  was  on  tit*-  .-..m-lu-imi  tl; 

8  apostasy,—  nndrr  th«-  n-ii:n  "1"  tin-  man  of  >in;  \«  t  in 
Bab;  in  tin-  wilderness."--  BABTOM  \\ 


(See  Chapt   :   XI! 

I).:M-  i  «  \or  pnuso  and 

this  \vil«lrrncHH  of  sin  :in«l  ilrpnivil  y  that  has  inter- 

venial  iM-turrn  \,,u  and  the  beaotiAil  woman  "«l»>tlir,i 

with  tin-  sun  ami  llir  IIKHUI  un.lrr  her  feet,"  which  is  the 
rmMcm  of  the  \irL'5n   rhurdi  of  n<l  \\itii 

whirh  you  iirr.i  lentilird  in  order  to  l»r  saved? 

M  hi-tory  of  (he  ehureli  founde<l  hy  Jesus  and 

till'    :i|M.-||r-,  AJ  de-rrilied    ill    the    N  e  \\    Tr-t  ailiellt  ,    oh    t  lie 

othei-   side    of   thi-    ni\-ti(iMn    and   darkness,    and    imte 

utiful  in  oi-Lr:ini/.:ition,  how  attractive    in  |M»W«T, 

puritN  .  uift-,  and  !•!.  i          :iieer-  \\en-  apostles, 

prophets,  seventie-,  hi-!  ,  rl.h-r-.,  l»i-hop-i,  teach- 

ers, deacons,  pa-  relists.     Her  law-,  faith, 

>»:iptiMus,  the  Inyinir  on  of  hands,  the  re-ur- 

00  tVi'in  the  dead,  and  eternal  jud-meiil  ,  ti>L*vther 
with  a  coiiiinandeil  -<.dly  walk  of  the  hiirliest  typo  of 

ility  and  purity.  Her  l»le--ini:'s,  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  as  inanitc-ted  in  prophecy,  tongues,  heal- 
iiiLr-.  interpretation  ot'  I  .  discerning  of  spirit-. 

faith,  knowledge.  wi>d.»in,  tlic  administration  of  an 
•in<l  connnunion  with   (iod.      View  this  >\>tem  of  faith 


98  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

and  worship,  with  all  of  its  imposing  and  captivating 
beauty  of  order,  power,  and  consistency,  and  then  take 
the  history  of  the  world  and  open  at  the  beginning  page 
on  this  side  of  the  dark  night  of  superstition  and  error, 
and  see  if  you  can  discover  an  institution  among  all  of 
the  reformed  sects  of  modern  times  that  conforms  per- 
fectly to  her  pattern,  as  given  in  the  New  Testament,  in 
organization,  doctrine,  and  spirit.  They  may  all  make 
claim  to  be  a  continuation  or  renewal  of  the  church, 
symbolized  by  the  woman  of  Revelation  xii.  ;  but  claim 
is  one  thing,  and  fact  another.  Do  their  organizations 
harmonize  with  hers  ?  Have  they  apostles  and  proph- 
ets as  she  had?  Have  they  communion  with  heaven, 
the  Holy  Ghost  in  power,  in  visions,  dreams,  tongues, 
healings,  and  the  administering  of  angels,  as  she  had? 
Do  they  even  claim  so  much? 

After  examining  the  whole  of  the  Roman  Catholic  and 
even  Protestant  Christendom,  you  can  but  answer  in  the 
negative,  "No,  they  are  not  in  harmony  with  her  pat- 
tern in  organization  and  doctrine."  Yet,  your  first  duty, 
in  connection  with  all  others,  is  to  "  Seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom  of  God,"  the  church. 

It  nas  been  said  that  such  an  organization  is  not 
needed  in  this  age  ;  that  the  people  are  too  wise,  ad- 
vanced, and  pious ;  that  it  was  to  be  done  away  at  the 
close  of  the  ministry  of  the  apostles,  as  having  answered 
the  end  for  which  it  was  constituted,  hence  no  longer 
needed.  But  when  the  proof  for  such  a  position  is  de- 
manded, the  answer  is  about  as  follows :  "  There  is  no 
such  organization  among  the  popular  churches  or  sects, 
and  if  it  was  necessary  there  would  be  one ;  that  it  is 


PRESIDENCY    AND    1  i:il  STHOOD.  99 

evident  that  the  ancient  order  of  thinirs  was  not  to 
continue,  because  for  so  long  a  time  it  has  ceased  to 
exist." 

Hut  notwithstanding thii  popular  do^inati-m,  \\eare 
specifically  informed  th:tt  apoMlex,  prophets,  teacher, 
etc.,  were  to  continue  "till  we  all  come  in  the  unity 
M|'  the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God, 
i;n!o  a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  Mature  of 
the  fulncsiiofChriM."  (Kph.  iv.  l.'J.) 

It  i-  evident  that  this  Scripture  pro\  the  ex- 

istence, and  the  necessity  lor  the  continuation,  of  an 
inspired  ministry  ton  later  period  in  the  world  >  hi-tory 
than  this  ;  for  the  Christians  even  have  n«>i  <  ..me  to  the 
"unity  of  the  faith/'  or  "  knowledge  of  the  Son  ot  *<.od," 
to  say  nothing  of  other  worshipped.  The  world  i> 
tossed  to  and  fro,  divided  and  carried  about  by  every 
religious  wind  that  blows,  and  stability  and  certainty 
are  found  nowhere.  To-day  a  Methodist,  to-morrow  a 
PiaptiM,  ne\t  day  an  Episcopalian,  Ooogregationalist, 
\er,  rnitarian,  or  some  Other  nn-ati>f\  inir  faith; 
and  then  a  Spiritualist,  infidel,  pantheist,  or  dei-t, 
a  science  healer,  etc.  This  is  not  the  unity  of  the  faith 
spoken  of  by  St.  Paul.  Comini:  to  a  unity  is  cominu: 
to  the  oneness  of  the  faith.  This  is  not  the  biblical 
oneness. 

In  e\  idence  that  there  IKJ  a  cessation  of  apos- 

tolic authority  and  divine  inspiration,  it  is  quoted: 
"  Whether  there  l>e  prophecies,  they  >hall  fail  ;  whether 
there  l»e  to*  they  shall  cease;  whether  there  be 

kiiMwled-v,  it  -hall  vanish  away."  (1  Cor.  xiii.  8.) 
But  when  shall  this  take  place?  Note,  that  prophecy, 


100  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

tongues,  and  knowledge  are  all  to  pass  at  the  same  time. 
It  won't  do  to  tell  people  that  they  are  not  smart,  and 
that  they  know  but  little  nowadays.  That  time  has 
not  come,  then,  for  "prophecy"  and  "knowledge"  to 
cense,  taking  popular  opinion  as  the  criterion.  The 
key  is  in  verse  nine  :  "  We  know  in  part,  and  we  proph- 
esy in  part"  But  when  Christ  comes  we  shall  see  "  face 
to  face,"  know  as  we  are  known.  Then,  and  not  until 
then,  will  tongues,  prophecy,  and  knowledge  in  "part" 
be  done  away,  only  for  the  want  of  faith,  and  obedience 
by  the  people.  Again:  "If  any  man  shall  add  unto 
these  things,  God  shall  add  unto  him  the  plagues  that 
are  written  in  this  book."  (Rev.  xxii.  18.)  But  it 
does  not  say  that  God  cannot  "  add  "  as  it  seemeth  him 
good.  "  Man"  is  forbidden  to  "add,"  but  God  has  not 
closed  his  own  mouth  ;  for  it  is  written  that  he  will  give 
"precept  upon  precept;  line  upon  line;  .  .  .  here  a 
little,  and  there  a  little."  (Is.  xxviii.  10.)  It  is  also 
written  that  "man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by 
every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God. '? 
(Matt.  iv.  4.) 

u  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that  givelh 
to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not;  and  it  shall  be  given 
him."  —  James  i.  5. 

There  is  no  evidence  in  the  Bible  indicating  that  God 
will  not  speak  to  men,  or  that  is  opposed  to  the  con- 
tinuation of  apostles  and  prophets  in  the  church.  In- 
deed, the  Bible  makes  it  quite  imperative  that  they 
should  be  in  the  church,  as  well  as  making  promise 
that  the  Lord  will  reveal  himself  to  those  who  seek  him. 


PKKMhK.NVY     AND    PK1  KSTHOi  H  ». 

The  sects,  then,  itotwHhatanding  their  irreat  influence, 
power,  and  popularity  in  the  world,  are  not  huilt  aecord- 

to     the     New      Testament      pattern,      reluctant      though 

we  are  to  come  to  this  conclu>ion.     Fact-  heat  all  else, 

They  have  followed  largely  their  o\\n  fancy,  in  church 

;,  construction,  and  doctrine,  in  cMaMNhinir   tlicin- 

M'lves.     Assumed  the   nirht    to   or;jani/e,  change,   and 

•  lire. -l,  \\  it  lion t  citlicr  the  priesthood  or  a  divine  appoint- 

i  \\hat  liny  appeal-  Mranire  and  sinirnlar,  in- 

i   a<   pro\  idcncc-,  lor  all   hold  that  (Jod  cannot 

d  him-clf  in  this  age,  and,  of  conr-c,  where  there  is 

no  reflation,  there  can  l»e  no  appointment  :  how 

>h:ill  they  prea<  i  :   they  I  .e  -cut  '  "      i  I»'om.   \.    1    '.  ) 

Win-re,  then,    i>   the   Jeni-ah-in   church?     She    has    not 

been  transmitted  down  to  n>  thron-h  the  dark  niirht  of 

popi-h    universal  ride,  a-  can  he  traced  1>\  either  >acrcd 

or  profane  hi-t«»ry.      >he  \\a-   !  the  world   in  the 

dark   day,  —  <lri\en  into  the  u  ilderness  (Kc\  .  \ii.   11), 

where  >he  \\  a  -  di-1'oln'd.  ehaiiLr«'d,  and  fran-lormed  into 

the  kingdom  of  the  de\  il.      (  LV\  .  xvii.  3,  4,  5,  <•.  ) 

lint  >oine  .  It    i-    ti  ne  that  there  was  a 

fallini:  auay  took  j>li<<  :  a  irreat  apo>tasy,  and  a  reign 
of  Ignorance,  >upei>tition,  idolatry,  and  intolerance 
ensued  from  the  fifth  t<>  the  fifteenth  century  ;  luit  when 
the  lu'fonnation  hogan,  and  the  'revival  of  letter- 
dawned,  ihe  dark  curtain  of  the  pa-t  \\a-  niove<l  hack, 
and  >npei -tition,  harhari-m,  idolatry,  and  witchcraft 
gave  way  to  science,  freedom,  tolerance,  and  the  rein- 
stating of  the  true  religion  ;  so  that  after  the  he-innm- 
of  th  nth  century,  when  Luther  thundered  against 

the  pope,  and  threw  oil'  the   yoke  of  the  old  mother,  a 


102  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

new  light  burst  upon  the  world,  and  the  freedom  of  con- 
science, toleration,  and  of  speech  was  extended  to  all 
Christian  societies.  That  men  no  longer  groaned  under 
a  court  of  proscription  and  yoke  of  slavery,  but  all 
were  left  free  to  worship  according  to  the  dictation  of 
conscience.  That  if  men  worship  as  their  consciences 
direct  (i.  e.9  about  as  they  please),  they  must  be  ac- 
ceptable. It  matters  not  what  church  men  belong 
to,  if  they  are  only  sincere.  The  church  cannot  save 
them." 

Why  did  God  organize  his  church  or  kingdom,  and 
call  upon  men  to  "  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God,"  if  it 
matters  not  what  church  people  unite  with?  Or,  if 
the  church  has  nothing  to  do  in  saving  them,  why  all 
the  labor  of  authorizing  and  commissioning  the  ancient 
ministry  to  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  king- 
dom of  God,  if,  indeed,  conformity  to  the  doctrine,  dis- 
cipline, and  government  of  the  true  church  is  but  a 
matter  of  conscience?  The  kingdom  of  God  was  taken 
from  the  Jews  and  given  to  others  because  they  refused 
to  accept  the  true  order. 

Men's  consciences  approve  that  theory  of  faith  which 
they  have  been  schooled  in  as  being  correct,  whether 
true  or  false.  If  they  have  been  taught  a  false  theory, 
their  consciences  nevertheless  bind  them  to  it.  To  be- 
long to  the  kingdom  of  God  and  obey  its  laws,  is  to  be 
saved.  To  go  elsewhere  is  to  be  out  of  the  ark  of 
safety,  whatever  may  be  the  state  of  the  conscience. 
(See  1  Cor.  i.  18  ;  Acts  ii.  47  ;  Col.  i.  13 ;  1  Thess.  ii. 
12;  Luke  xvi.  16.) 

The  following  may  be  read  with  profit :  — 


PREMM  :\«  V    AND  PIMLMHOOD.  103 

••  If  the  blind  lead  tin   blind,  both  shall  fall  into  the  ditch." 
—II  14. 

••  lint  if  our  gospel  be  hid,  it  is  hid  to  them  that  arc  lost."  — 
i  .  iv.  3. 

••  Hut  the  Pharisees  ami  lawyers  reject*  (iod 

against  themselves,  bo  i  l»ti/.(  «l  of  him."  —  Luke  vii.  30. 

M  1  man  h<-   horn  of  \v:ii.  r  :m«l  of  tin-  Spirit,  he 

not  entrr  into  th«-  kin-'lom  of  (  iinl."  —  John  iii.  6. 

The   pernicious  COUTSC   pcr-5-ted    in  by  till'  Idilld  IMiari 

sees   and  Sadduerrs   did    imt    CVIIM*    them   from    not 
receh  ini:  tin-  message  of  JTeeua  and  John,  because  they 

\\cir   follou  in-j  ntioiixly  in   anollirr   laitli,  ritluT 

in  part  or  as  a  wholr.     "If  tin*  Idit.d   Irad  tin*  Idind, 

-hall  fall  into  thr  ditch."    Jesus  denouiuMul  tlinn  as 

•  •ii.-i:  ill--   truth,   encompassing  sea  and   land   t<> 

makr  a  j.i'o-rlx  ic  ;   "  :ind  \\  hen  In-  is  made,  yr  m.ikr  him 

t  unfold  moiv  the  child  of  hr  11  than  \  Matt. 

.!.'»>       \  riiL'rancr  i,    thmi.      So  will   it   all 

tho-c  uh«»   rwM    t!ic  truth  nj>oii  the  ph  <-ien- 

tintl-   fnllnu  iliLT   ill   the   u  rnliiT   \\ 

Jesus  said  :  — 

I  r  ye  in  at  the  strait  gate  :  for  wide  is  the  gate,  and 
broad  is  the  way,  that  lendeth  to  <i<  -trurtion,  ami  many  there  be 
whit  h  £o  in  tluTi  :it.  Because  strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is 
th--  way.  \vhi<  h  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it/' 
—  Matt.  vii.  1:;,  II. 

"  Strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate  :  for  many,  I  say  unto 
you,  will  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not  be  able.  "  —  Lukexiii.  _M 


Will  any  pivMime  to  say  that  those  who  "seek  to 
enter  in  "  are  not  conscientious?  Yd  they  are  asked  to 
"strive*'  to  enter.  Thousands  l>o\v  daily  to  wor>liip  in 
Mind  nlH-dicncc  to  their  traditions  and  crecd>,  and  at  (lie 


104  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

same  time  close  their  ears  and  doors  against  the  truth, 
not  willing  to  be  informed,  ready  to  scorn,  misrepre- 
sent, scoff,  and  kill  those  who  urge  upon  them  the 
necessity  of  seeking  and  finding  the  truth.  Away  with 
such  a  conscience  !  •  Away  with  such  a  spirit !  Away 
with  such  perversity  and  blindness  !  Away  with  such 
Christianity  !  It  is  antichrist ! 

Men  to  worship  aright  must  not  worship  according  to 
their  own  fancy  as  to  what  is  right  and  proper,  but 
according  to  "  what  is  written  in  the  law.  How  read- 
estthou?"  (Luke  x.  2G.) 

"  The  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and 
in  truth:  for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship  him."  —  John 
iv.  23. 

"  Thy  word  is  truth."  —  John  xvii.  17. 

"Thy  commandments  are  truth." — Ps.  cxix.  151. 

"  He  that  is  of  God  heareth  God's  words."  — John  viii.  47. 

u  In  vain  they  do  worship  me,  teaching  for  doctrines  the  com- 
mandments of  men."  —  Matt.  xv.  9. 

"  If  there  come  any  unto  you,  and  bring  not  this  doctrine, 
receive  him  not  into  your  house."  — 2  John  10. 

"  Many  deceivers  are  entered  into  the  world.  .  .  .  Whosoever 
transgresseth,  and  abideth  not  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  hath 
not  God."  —  2  John  7,  9. 

It  is  said  we  do  not  need  doctrine  nowadays.  It 
divides,  etc.  That  one  faith  is  as  good  as  another, 
notwithstanding  it  is  written  :  — 

.  "  Though  we,  or  an  angel  from  heaven,  preach  any  other  gos- 
pel unto  you  than  that  which  we  have  preached  unto  you,  let 
him  be  accursed."  —  Gal.  i.  8. 

"  To  the  law  and  to  the  testimony:  if  they  speak  not  accord- 
ing to  this  word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them."  — 
Is.  viii.  20. 


ri;i  BID!  KOI     AND    l'i;n>'i  n«»<  »i>. 
Acrordini:    to    thr-r    citation-,    and    IIIMIIV    nnnv    that 

might  be  addooed,  there  i-  something  more  to  be  oon- 

-idnvd  in  a  true  \\or-hij)  than  thr  Mind    follou  'MILT   of  :i 
mi-informed    conscience,  •    tin-    \\  him- 

Mill.!  !   and  thr  |H<  f  Ilirn.        Liirht    h:i-  conn- 

into    tlif  \\orld.      "  Awakr,  thou    that    lleepert!" 

v  man  !•«•  -\\ift   t«»  lirar."      i  ,la>.  i.   19,         Thr 
DOW    iM-inir    inadr     l»y     tin-     IVotr-tant     woi'ld     to     unity 

>!    (  'hn-tian  iM'lirf  anioiur  thrm- 

:irirl»y  |in-ml    a    -  it   to  tin-    inlid»'l 

woi'ld,   I-  r\id«-iMc  t!ial    tii.-y   irali/r    the  futility  ol'lhrir 

•  hinir  thr  dr-irrd  n: 

1'hat    MH-h    nn:  ,th    and    hrlirf  i-    DccesSill^    i- 

.n    fioiu    thr    \M»rd-   «'f  thr    Saviour  ( John    vii. 

•    v  ^6  alone,  but    f«»r  th«-in   al>o  \\liich 

nliall  ..ii   iiu-.  thn.ii-li   tli.-if  \vt>r«l;   that    tiny  all   111.1 

lll.lt    thr    Un!..!     Ii,;i\     !M   !i(.\«-    that    tllOU    llUSt    8«'Ut     IU« '." 

rrii«»   skr|)tiri-m   of  tlm   pres(»nt    tiim*    i>    \:iv\n  ly    tin- 
result  of  the   conti-adirtions   and    ioeODgrail 
tariani-in.      Tin-  dort rino  of  Christ  is   t  Qfl    in-ti- 

1    hy  him    t-  t    tb«'M»   ri-ioi-   and   prodiK-r  t  hr 

'iirncss.  The  attempt,  thru,  to  dispense  with  the 

1          -t  place-  thrm  in  thr  nnriix  iaUr  |M»ition 
of  di-rai-dinir  tl.  -rntrd  l»y  ('hri-t,  Ky   \\hirh 

thr  unity  among  Christian-    may    !><•   nhtainrd. 

So  Paid  commanded:  — 

11  I'n-ach  the  word;  .  .  .  exhort  with  all  lon^-suflVriii-  and 
time  will  conn    \\h«  n   they  will  not  endure 
aouii  •€.*'  —  2  Tun.  i\    -j, :{. 

41 1'ak.-  heed    uuto   th   8  If,  and   utiio   the  d.eii  iin- ,  c..nliuue 
in  tin  in:   for  in   <l«»in^  th;s  thou    shall   both   save    tln-el!'.  and 
ir  thee."  —  1  Tim.  iv.  1C. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  REFORMATION. —PROTESTANT  CHURCHES,  NAMELY,  LUTHERAN, 
CALVINIST,  PRESBYTERIAN,  EPISCOPALIAN,  BAPTIST.  —  THE 
LATTER'S  CLAIMS  TO  TRANSMITTED  AUTHORITY. 

THE  Reformation  is  not  noted,  nor  its  illustrious 
movers  celebrated  and  admired,  for  reinstating  the  true 
religion,  but  the  proclaiming  against  popish  super- 
stitions, indulgences,  idolatry,  and  other  doctrinal 
errors.  Great  credit  is  due  those  who  toiled  in  so 
noble  an  enterprise,  but  the  admiration  inspired  by  the 
contemplation  of  an  era  of  so  great  note,  and  the  indi- 
viduals who  were  indeed  heroes  in  ecclesiastical  warfare, 
should  not  lead  one  to  such  an  unfortunate  conclusion 
as  to  think  that  naught  but  truth  received  commen- 
dation and  became  engrafted  upon  the  Reformation  ; 
but  the  fact  should  be  remembered  that  the  errors  and 
superstitions  of  ages  were  retained,  which  in  time  be- 
came augmented  by  the  introduction  of  new  ones,  until 
the  Protestants  became,  in  many  respects,  as  super- 
stitious, bigoted,  and  intolerant  as  the  power  they 
warred  against. 

Science  brought  with  her%a  glory  and  renown  worthy 
of  her,  the  handmaid  of  progress ;  and  all  nations 
should  unite  in  paying  tribute  to  her  worth,  and  pro- 
claim undying  fame  to  her  heroes  and  martyrs.  But 
conceding  the  many  and  rich  gifts  brought  by  the 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  107 

•rmation  :iinl  -cienee,  it  i-  in  vain  tli;it  we  look  to 
either,  or  both  comlmied,  as  having  rein.-tated  the  true 
church,  or  a  system  of  worship  in  exact  harmony  with 
that  which  ua-  estal»li>hed  l»y  JesOfl  < 'hri-t  and  fhc 

tie-.  Such  an  our  i-  not  to  l>e  ton  ml  either  aiiion-' 
the  Km:  '  holie  or  IVote-iant  MCto.  If  8lK'h  is 

it,  \\hiTt-   i-    it?      \\'li»-i«'  ilid   it  hr-jinr      liv  whom 

:t  bonded  \     \N'|HT«-  i-  it  no 

It  was  essential  that  Jesus  ami  tin-  ajH.^tlr-  In-  rm- 

1  \\ith    tlir  Mrlrlii-.-d.T    j  >rirM  I  iood ,  and   antlior- 

l'\    a    divinr    rrvrlation,    in    ordrr  to   set    up    thr 

i  at  .Irru-alrin  and  preach  the  gOBpel  to 

all  thr  world:   and  it   has   |M'cn   shown   that    there  \va-  a 

tailing    a\\ay,    an    apostasy,    a    tran-t'onnation,    yes,    a 

j    of  tin-  nt   (  K   \\i\  id  an    cnJire 

throw  of  that   chnrch,  and   an    a-_re  of  darkm-^s  and 

Mi nilness   ensued   fraught  with    thr  most    direful    and 

calamitous   consiMjnencc's.      SnperM  it  ion,    idolatry,    and 

imKrcility  reigned,  and    the   Jern.-alein    church   was   oh- 

xaned  or  lo-t   in  the  darkness.     Can  a  less  power  and 

authority,  an  inferior  wi-dom  and  direction  than  it  took 

to  set  «j>  the  church,  reinstate  tit    , 

It   to..k    apostles  and    prophet-,  empowered  with    the 
M.  lehi^edee    |>i  and     a    divine      revelation,     U) 

e-taMi-h  the  kingdom  ot  then   can   an   amhitious 

monk,   detracting    nothing    from    h  '     name    and 

-lory,  whatever  his  learning  and  talent-,  or  oilier  mere 
reform,;  toU    it     without     either    an    apo-tle    or 

prophet,  tbe  priesthood,  or  a  re\elation  from  (iod?    If 

then  Martin  Luther  and  other-,  without  the  priest- 
hood  or  a  divine  appointment ,  di«l,  l»y  their  own  wi-doin, 


108  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

all  that  a  properly  authorized   ministry  did  anciently 
with  such  an  appointment  and  authorization. 

But  what  say  others  upon  this  most  important  sub- 
ject? Dr.  Wm.  Smith  says  :  — 

"  We  must  not  expect  to  see  the  church  of  holy  Scripture 
actually  existing  in  its  perfection  on  the  earth.  It  is  not  to  be 
found  thus  perfect  either  in  the  collected  fragments  of  Chris- 
tendom, or,  still  less,  in  any  one  of  these  fragments,  though  it 
is  possible  that  one  of  these  fragments  more  than  another  may 
approach  the  scriptural  .apostolic  ideal."  —  Bible  Dictionary, 
page  163.  - 

"  Who  ever  read  anything  about  the  Baptist  Church  at  Cor- 
inth, or  the  Methodist  Church  at  Kome,  or  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Jerusalem?  These  names  were  unknown.  These 
sects  did  not  exist.  They  are  all  comparatively  of  modern 
origin.  They  are  in  no  way,  shape,  or  manner  a  NECESSITY  to 
the  CHRISTIAN  religion,  but  a  positive  hindrance  to  it." — • 
N.  RAVLIN,  March,  1875,  in  Chicago.  Report  in  Advent  Chris- 
tian Times. 

"  Dr.  Thrall  said  there  were  many  truths  that  can  be  developed 
only  in  two  generations,  because  one  is  not  broad  enough.  A 
Presbyterian  clergyman  said  to  him  recently:  '  I  believe  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith  of  our  church,  of  course,  but  I  do  not  believe  it  as 
fullyandasfreelyasldotheBible.'  That  was  just  the  thing.  The 
different  sects  are  looking  away  from  their  creeds  or  catechisms 
to  the  absolute  sufficiency  of  the  Bible,  and  are  learning  that 
church  government,  as  described  in  the  Bible,  does  not  exist  upon 
earth."  — New  York  Sun,  Oct.  11, 1874. 

"  Sectarianism,  which  is  only  another  name  for  heresy, 
sprang  out  of  the  apostasy,  and  the  parties  named  themselves 
according  to  their  own  fancy." — JAMES  MATHEWS. 

"  Surely  there  is  something  in  Christianity  higher  and  purer 
than  any  exhibition  of  it  now  known.  The  results,  as  they  now 


HUMID]  IH  ^     AND    i-i;ii->i  in  M  >\>. 


appear  before  our  eyes,  cannot  be  >\hat  its  Author  de-i-ned 
only  to  reach.''—  JAM  r>  (  HLAIAKRS,  RMMMfl  ^f  the  Gospel, 
page  67. 

Also  the  folln\\  inir,  niulrr 


•  OKIGl 


ig,  under  ItaJiead  of  tha    .  . 

„,,„ ..I;,; U :  • 


••  Iii   M  M:    \\illiams  became  a  I'.aptist,  together 

\viih  sev-  \ile.     As  fume  in  the  colony 

had  1"  •  M   bapti/.rd,  a    Mr.    Holliman  was  Bclrdt-d    to   baptize 
A  illiams,  who  tln-n  l»a; 

/    iinttjihs  of  Ileliyioua  L 

"  M  mis  remained  paM«-r  of  t!  uirch   but    a 

few  months.     H--  •  .   must   dn-ive  its 

autli"- 

that  therefore,  without  such  a  com::  ho  had  no  author- 

ity  to  assume  the  office  of   paMor,  or  be  in   tin- 

houst  or  proclaim  to  tlu-  Impenitent  the  saving  met 

of  redemption.  Hr  conceived  that  tin  (hur.h  of  Christ  has 

n  into  apostasy  as  to  have  lost  both  its  right  form  an<l 
thr  due  adinini-lration  of  the  ordinann  s  wl.icli  could  only  be 
•  v  some  new  apostolic  or  specially  com  in  i;.  .n.  <1  mes- 
senger from  above.  .  .  .  I  n  Mr.  \\  ill iams's  book,  4  Hireling  Min- 
we  find  the  following:  *  In  the  poor,  small  span  of  my 

to  have  been  a  diligent  and  constant  obsei 
and  have  been  myself  many  ways  engaged  in  city,  in  country,  in 
court,  in  schools,  in  universities,  in  churches,  in  Old  and  New 
England,  and  yet  cannot,  in  holy  preseu<  .  !>nn_:  in  tin 

results  of  a  satisfying  discovery  that  «  ith«-r  the  be-ruim:  minis- 
try of  the  apostles  or  messengers  to  the  nations,  or  the  feeding 
11  i-hin_r  ministry  of  pastors  and  teachers,  according  to  the 
first  t  <  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  is  yet  restored  and  e?' 

These  imperfections  in  the  church,  in  its  revived  e 
could  be  removed  by  a  new  apostolic  ministry  alone.'    He  there- 
fore was  opposed  to  the  *  office  of  any  ministry  but  such  as  the 
Lord  Jesus  appointed.'     He  cono-iv.-d  that  th»  ajxmttisy  of  < 
christ  hath  so  far  corrupted  all  that  there  can  be  no  recovery  out 


110  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

of  that  apostasy  till  Christ  shall  send  forth  new  apostles  to  plant 
churches  anew."  —  Struggles  and  Triumphs  of  Religious  Liberty, 
pases  238,  239.  (See  Knowles's  History,  page  172;  Cotton's  An- 
swer, page  9.) 

To  reform  is  to  amend.  A  reformation  implies  that 
whatever  is  being  reformed  has,  at  some  time,  fallen 
from  a  commendable  plane  of  purity  and  worth,  and  is 
now  striving  by  correcting  and  changing  —  proceeding 
from  bad  to  better  —  to  regain  its  former  high  standing 
and  moral  worth  ;  or  that  it  is  emerging,  for  the  first 
time,  from  among  the  elements  of  discord,  dissensions, 
and  vice  by  a  gradual  changing,  correcting,  and  growth, 
with  the  view  of  obtaining  a  higher  and  a  more  desirable 
sphere  of  usefulness,  perfection,  and  purity. 

The  Protestant  world  all  pride  themselves  on  not  only 
being  reformers  but  reformed.  They  concede  that  the 
papacy  held  the  world  in  ignorance  and  bondage  for 
long  centuries,  and  that  with  a  struggle  they,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  issued  from  her  dark  bosom  of 
chaotic  night,  REFORMED.  They  unite  in  proclaiming 
her  vile  and  unclean,  and  brand  her  as  "MYSTERY,  BABY- 
LON THE  GREAT,  THE  MOTHER  OF  HARLOTS  AND  ABOM- 
INATIONS OF  THE  EARTH,"  yet  she  remains  emphatically 
the  MOTHER,  nevertheless.  They,  having  lopped  off 
some  of  her  most  aggravating  errors,  lay  claim  to  hav- 
ing reached  forward  to  a  higher  ground,  and  attained 
to  something  of  the  primitive  faith,  spirit,  and  true  order 
of  things.  Accepting  all  this,  and  the  fact  that  bold, 
thoughtful,  and  noble  men  have  sacrificed  and  toiled  to 
secure  this  greatly  to  be  desired  condition,  when  viewed 
especially  in  contrast  with  the  dark  and  misty  past,  yet 


ri:i>iDi  \«  i     \M.    FBIBR  .......  •.  11  1 

which  one  of  all  these  sects  has  reinstated  the  ehmvh  of 
Je-ii-  ('liri-t  in  it>  order,  authority,  power,  in-piration, 
and  rnmplrtene^  -  Or  have  tiny  ><>  done,  all  com- 
hined?  II:i\e  they  ne:irlv  approxinia!  •  OH6  like 

unto    it  1 

In    order   to    properly  answer  these    inteiTo^a  lives, 

Decenary  t«»  hrietly  examine  into  the  origin  and 
something  of  the  faith  of  -onir  of  thr  laiL't'st  and  nn»M 
intlnrntial  of  inodrni  <-lnir«-he<,  and  roinpan'  them  with 
the  mid.  ndard  and  tr-t  «.f  the  true  rlmrrli 

n/:iti(.n. 

i  in     i.i  i  in  i:  \\s 


The  history  ™f  *l*<*  T.nfln^n  Church  is  intimately 
connected  with  that  of  Martin  Luther  himself.  It 
originated  with  him.  History  points  him  out  as  tlie 
most  conspicuous,  l>old,  and  capable  of  the  Rcformerg.  t 
But  as  a  hricf  notice  only  in  all  that  can  he  attempted 
in  the^ghort  space  allotted  to  this  and  tho  other  denom- 
inations to  which  reference  is  herein  made,  and  as  it  is 

intruded    to    lender   the    MalemenK    a^   anlhoritritivr  a- 


may  lx%  to  relie\.   them  of  all  suspicion  or  distrust  as 

lo"arein-;iey,  or  as  h:i\  inir  heen  writtrn  \\itli  prejudice 
or  hia>,  thr  laiiLrnai:e  <>f  the  l-.-t  ;uit  hoi'it  ies  is  ijiioted 
l.-iriM'ly,  in-te:id  (»f  pre^enliiiLT  the  snl»je<-t  ni:ttter  in  the 
l:niLru:iLre  of  t  he  writer.  The  fullowinir  i-  in  point:  — 

"The  birth  of  the  Lutheran  drnominatiommoy,  with  some 

litiH-s,  1,,-  «l.i;.-.l   fr,,m   ;!n-    \.:u-   l.'.nT.  iii  \\  hi.-li    Linhrr,  thru   :. 

mopfc'  and  twenty-four  years  of  age,  first  ^iacove^-ed/a  Latin 
fiifalc  among  the  rubbiah  of  his  conv'c'ntlibrar}^  (rom  the  pcru- 

<•   ••'.   .';.•!,   li,.  ,li-n\,-,l   hi-   i,,,'.,  ;.  ;u,,l  ihni   a!ni.-t    unknown. 
in   rrlrr.-ncr  to  thr  «1.M  -n-iiiiil   ^yMrni  of    I'mit  M;»nt 


112  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

ogy.  During  ten  years  he  continued  to  investigate  and  study 
the  Scriptures,  at  the  end  of  which  period,  in  1517,  he  made  his 
first  public  foray  into  the  territories  of  Kome  by  attacking  the 
sale  of  indulgences,  which  at  that  time  was  carried  on  by 
Tetzel,  in  the  vicinity  of  '  Luther's  residence.  .  .  .  The  pope 
decreed  that  his  writings  should  be  publicly  burnt.  In  return  for 
this  compliment  Luther  collected  together  some  of  the  standard 
works  of  the  Eomish  Church,  and  burnt  them,  together  with  the 
condemnatory  bull  of  the  .pope,  in  view  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  city  of  Wittenberg. 

"  The  history  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  Europe  presents 
two  very  marked  and  prominent  features.  Her  conflicts  have 
been  divided  between  those  which  she  waged  with  the  Church  of 
Rome  and  those  which  were  carried  on  within  her  own  bosom 
by  the  disputes  and  everlasting  differences  of  her  own  members. 
Debate  and  disturbances  seem  indeed  to  have-  been  the  natural 
and  normal  state  of  this  sect  during  their  whole  past  history. 
Even  before  the  death  of  Luther,  the  opinions  of  Melanchthon, 
his  most  intimate  and  trusted  friend,  became  so  widely  dissim- 
ilar from  his  own,  that  a  coldness  of  feeling  ensued  between 


"  In  Europe  the  Lutheran  Church  is,  at  the  present  time,  the 
most  numerous_of_all  the  Protestant  sects.  Every  possible 
shade  of  sentiment  and  belief  can  be  found  among  them  from 
the  semi-Romish  'old  Luthera,'  who,  like  Luther,  adheresjo 

the  doctrine  of  consubstantiation,  to  the  semi-infidel,  who,  like 
Strauss,  Paulus,  Rhor,  and  other  modern  rationalistic  theolo- 
gians of  Germany,  deny  the  inspiration  and  miracles  of  the 
Scriptures.  In  this  country  the  same  tendency  to  diversity  of 
sentiment  exists  among  the  Lutherans. 

"The  German  Reformed  Church,  as  it  exists  both  in  Eu- 
rope and  in  this  country,  is  historically  descended  from  the 
Swiss  churches  which  were  established  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury through  the  instrumentality  of  the  distinguished  reformer, 
Ulric  ZwinglL  The  original  seat  of  this  sect  was  in  Switzer- 
land; .  .  .  Zwingli  was  the  contemporary  of  Luther.  ...  He 
was  ordained  as-  a  -Roman  Catholic  -priest  after  -having  com- 
pleted his  studies  at  the  University  of  Basle.  "  r^-  History  of  All 
Denominations,  by  SCHMUCKER,  pages  21,  22,  23,  31. 


AND   PRIESTHOOD.  113 

The  tir-t  mo\e  of  Luther  towards  a  reformat  ion  \\a- 

mainly   im-ited    l»y   the    piihli>hini:    of   indnl-eiKo;    by 
1,   a    Dominican    friar,    while    he   wtfl    en-ja^ed    in 
liinir  tli  -(11(1  philosophy  at  Wittenhei 

Tln«  Information  etl'eeted  hy  him  mainly  «•« m-i-ied  in 
j»ppo-iiiLr  the  supremacy  of  the  p»pe,  hi-  infallihility , 
the  sale  of  indiiLr»'M«-rx,  in:is<,  puriratory,  crlihaey,  the 
worship  of  image-,  and  anrirnlar  ronfes>ion. 

-    !  .1  Kupp,  "ncrivod  ordination  from  thr 

bol  thr  i;..ini~h  :  .  and  Iiis  ordinal  inn,  i ! 

nf  all  his  Protestant  succcHsore,  U  as  valid  as  that 
of  Ihf  Umni-li  prii-tlnMnl  :it  thr  hr-jinnin^  ••!"  th«-  >i\t« cnth 

.   In     ITM   "r.!;iiiH-«l    \>\    mi:  lih  <1 

liurch]  at  tlu*   time  of  its  performance."  — 
-litjion*  ^(nomination*  in  //«   J'nitfd  State*. 
"The  Lnth.nm-,  li..\v.-v.  r,"   >.i\-*    !>:.    I'.urk,  k'..f  :lll    ] 
estantu,  are  said  to  differ  least  from  tin-  K<>mi>h  ('hnn-h,  as 
they  affirm  that  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  I  tally 

present  in  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  [n  an 

nprehcnsil'l.   man m -r.   .  .  .  Towards  the  c!os<  «-ven- 

teenth  ceniun-,  the   Lutherans  began   to  entertain   a  gi 
liberality  of  sentiment  than  they  had  hefnre  adopt. -.1.  th-.u-h  in 
many  places  they  persevered  longer  in  severe  and  despot  ie 
pl.    thin  oUiei  I'roteatant  ehnreln  s.'?—  Theological  Dic- 
tionary, page  246,  by  Rev.  <  BUCK. 

The  Kefonned  Lutheran  Church  is  the  state  religion 
of  deimany,  and  the  kinir  i-  the  head  of  the  rhun-li. 
This  is  a  secondary  otl'-pring  from  the  mother  clyirrh. 

(    VI.\  IMSTS. 

MI  Calvin,  the  irreai  ( irneva  reformer,  was  con- 
temporary with  Luther,  and  was  the  founder  of  that 
system  of  faith  and^doctrina  ttilich  stjITbcars  his  name. 


114  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"Calvin  was  horn  at  Nogcn,  in  Picardy,  in  the  year 
1509." 

Dr.  Buck  says  :  — 

u  Calvinists  are  those  who  embrace  the  doctrine  and  senti- 
ments of  Calvin,  the  celebrated  reformer  of  the  Christian  church 
from  Romish  superstition  and  doctrinal  errors."  —  Theological 
Dictionary,  page  55. 

The  distinguishing  differences  of  their  faith  from  the 
Lutherans  and  Arminians  consists  mainly  in  what  is 

"  denominated  the  five  points;  these  are  predestination,  particu- 
lar redemption,  total  depravity,  effectual  calling,  and  certain 
perseverance  of  the  saints. 

"  They  maintain  that  God  hath  chosen  a  certain  number  of 
the  fallen  race  of  Adam  in  Christ  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  unto  eternal  glory,  according  to  his  immutable  purpose, 
and  of  his  free  grace  and  love,  without  the  least  foresight  of 
faith,  good  works,  or  any  conditions  performed  by  the  creature; 
and  that  the  rest  of  mankind  he  was  pleased  to  pass  by,  and 
ordain  to  dishonor  and  wrath,  for  their  sins,  to  the  praise  of 
his  vindictive  justice."  —  /McZ.,  page  55. 


Calvin  also  was  ordained  by  the  Romish  clergy,  a 
hence  his  authority,  like  Luther's,  was  ff  as  valid  as  that 
of  the  Romish  priesthood,"  nnd  nn  rporp.  so. 

He  was  the  chief  advocate  of  that  strange  and  up- 
natural  belief  that  a  part  of  the  human  race  were 
elected  to  be  eternally  damned,  and  the  remainder  to 
be  eternally  saved,  the  conduct  of  cither  having  noth- 
ing to  do  HfTixing  those  conditions.  He  was  so  ex_- 
treme  as  to  teach  that  there  are  infants,  even,  confined. 
to  eternal  burnings.  His  intolerant  and  vehement 
spirit  was  such  that  he  became  an  extreme  persecutor, 


FHStfDKHCl     AM>    ILIKSTHOOD.  1  1  ."» 

jad  put  to  death  those  who  differed  from  him  in  reli- 


1  l»y  some  of  (  ':ilv  in's  admirers, 

I  \\ill  li.-iv  <|iiotr  tin*  eminent  Writer,  Philip  S.-liair, 
D.  D.,  LL.D.,  hllDBelf  •  PivJ.\  trrinn.  in  :itt«'xtaiioM  of 
its  tnitlil'uliu'-s,  a-  follow-  :  — 

"T  ninater  <  "hiYssion  of  I«;IT  i-  tin-  :ni.l 

Htrongest  statement  of  the  Calvinistic  [somciir  ilK.l 

•  Augustinian  ']  system  of  <!••  :  n  ihi 

atnnd-pnini  nf  I>i\  .-i^niy  :m<l  .Ii  1  ..n  tin-  basU 

of  a  close  alliance  <>f  Chun-li  ami  st:\tc.  The  aascinbly  was 
itself  nl,  appoint.  -.1  an<l  paid 

!•>  it,  and  amenable  to  its  auil»«»:-it\.  Th.-  (  'onf.--ioii,  \\liich 
was  sent  to  Parli-um-nt  tni-ln-  the  title  of  the  4  IIumMe  Advice,' 
assigns  to  the  eivil  ^.ivrr  nineut  th*  ',d  dut  y  of  callinir 

ml   piiMi-hiMi:  IHT.-V.      It   thu- 

sanctions  tin-  lu-indpleot  reli-iou-  persecution,  and  the  Long 

on   this  principle  hy  the  expulsion  of  about 

two  th<»ii*and  ei.-rirymrii   from  th«-ir  li\  in-^  for  n  iuif\ 

rit:iMi>M>.     Th«-  (  hurch  of  Kn^laiid,  after  the  Restoration. 

fully  repaid  this  act  of  intolerance  with  inter.  *t    l.y  expelling 

and  starving  th«   Puritan  iiiinister«,  including  iueb  nn  :. 

•  1  I'.unyan,  for  non-<-oMforinity  .     Calvin  and 

had  written  special  works  in  jnstiiication  of.  the  hurimu: 

of  Servetii^     All  the  leading  divines  of  the  seventeenth  C6H- 

tury,  Protestant  as  well  as  I;  itholic,  with  the  <  -xception 

few  pcrsiM-nti-d   Indepi-nd«-n!-,    Uapii-ts,  aixl  (Quakers,  re- 

garded religious  toleration  as  a  dangerous  heresy  and 

of  the  devil.    This  view  was  held  even  by  the  venerable  and 

.1   l.y  the   New  Kni;land   Puritans  in 

tin-  <  lay  s  of  expelling  J'aptNN,  hair.-  •  .kn-s,  and  hnrninir 
witches.  The  principle  of  persecution,  to  the  <  -xl<  nt  of  burning 

•ics,  is  inseparable  from  the  union  of  Church  ao 
which  make  a  crime  ajra'mM   the  (  hunh,  also  a  crime  against 
the  State,  to  be  punished  accordin-  to  law." 


116  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

In  an  accompanying  note  Dr.  Schaff  says  :  — 

"  As  this  statement  has  been  denied  [Calvin's  complicity  in 
and  justification  of  the  burning  of  Servetus]  by  the  Mid-Con- 
tinent of  St.  Louis,  Dec.  4,  1889,  page  4,  I  shall  give  the  title 
of  Calvin's  book  :  '  Defensio  orthodox^  fidei  de  sacra  trinitate 
contra  prodigiosos  errores  Michaelis  Serveti  Hispani  ubi  osten- 
ditur  hsereticos  Jure  gladii  coercendos  esse.'  '  It  appeared  in 
1554,  a  few  months  after  Servetus's  death,  and  is  republishcd 
in  the  new  edition  of  Calvin's  Opera  by  the  Strasburg  Profes- 
sors, Keuss,  etc.,  Yol.  VIII.,  483,  644.'  The  title  of  Beza's 
tract  is  :  '  De  Hsereticis  a  civili  magistratu  cuniendis,'  etc. 
Geneva,  1554,  second  edition,  1592,  French  translation  by  Nic. 
Colladon,  15GO.  Calvin  wished  the  sword  to  be  substituted  for 
the  stake  in  the  case  of  Servetus;  but  as  to  the  right  and  duty 
of  the  death  penalty  for  obstinate  heretics  he  had  not  the 
slightest  misgiving,  and  it  is  only  on  this  ground  that  his  con- 
duct in  that  tragedy  can  be  in  any  way  justified  or  at  least 
explained.  It  is  well  known  that  all  the  surviving  Reformers, 
even  the  gentle  Melanchthon,  fully  approved  of  it."  —  Creed 
Revision  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  pages  7  and  8. 

Calvin's  authority  and  largely  his  spirit  were  con- 
ferred upon  his  immediate  successors. 

THE  rRKSHYTKKIANS. 

John  Knox,  tbejvpostle  of  Presbyterian  ism,  was  born 
in  East  Lothian,  1505,  and  was  educated  at  the  Univer- 
sity  of  8t.  Andrew's.  At  about  the  age  of  twenty -five 
heJ^Hoo^^r^rs^Tw^s  ordained)  irrthfi  CntbnliV.  ChlLvgb.- 
His  authority,  too,  was  "as  valid  as  theJR-omish  hie- 
rarchy." 


"  As  a  man  of  known  ability,  and  as  a  priest,  he  was  espe- 
cially obnoxious  to  the  hierarchy.  His  talents  pointed  him  out 
as  a  fit  person  for  the  ministry,  but  he  was  very  reluctant  to  de- 
vote himself  to  that  important  charge,  and  was  only  induced  to 


i  SIDENCY  AND  ri;n>THOOi>.  117 

do  BO  after  a  s  crnal  struggle,  by  a  solemn  call  from  the 

minister  and  the  assembled  congregation. 

A::    r  the  accession  of  Queen  Mary  to  tin    throne  of  I 

at  the  requ  it  «-f  Ui  M<  nds,  Knox  quitted  Kn-land  and 

to(icneva,  and  tbere  made  tbe  acquaintance  of  Calvin, 

whom  he  loved  an  >nd  followed  more  closely  than 

•he  fathers  of  the  Information  in  }\\*  view  hoth  of 

ine  and  e<  al  di-cipline."  /  and 

I.    \N  .    II  u:m\...    1>.    !  -  ,   ;m,l 

"The  Presbyterian  (  'hnreli  in  Ireland  \va.s  mainly  the  olT-prini: 

n  Scotland.   .   .   .   The  Pre-hvte- 

rian  Chinch   in   the  Tinted  State^  derives  its  lin.  i   iht- 

ians    l.nth    of     Inland    and    S.  ,y  of 

ioux  Denominations  in  -    -  f,  >.  h\  I  >  \  M  i  i.  i;  i  i-r, 

pa-.-  :.::.. 

Tin-  Trr  J»\  trrian-  miirinallv  -pratiir   up  with  :ind  nut 
fr<»m  Ili 


••  '1  f«  that  the  authority  of  their  ministers  to  preach 

-aeranu  ni<   of  hapti-m    and   the 

Lord's  supp<-  1.  i  the  ilo«-k  of  Cbi  i  ived  from  tin 

\  the  imposition  of  tbe  hands  of  the  presbytery. 

y  artirm  that  th.  r.    i-  no  order  in  t  lie  church  as  estab- 

lished by  Christ  and  bis  apostles  superior  to  that  of  presbyters; 

that  all  ministers,  being  ambassadors  of  Christ,  are  e.jtial  hy 

If    eonnni->in:  III.  ,yy    page 

BM 

"The  members  of  tbe  Chnn-h  of  Scotland  arc  Mri<  -t  I'resby- 

:.-;  their  mode  of  unent  was  brought 

thith  (  iencvaby.Iolm  Knox.  the  famou-  Sc.-u  h  reformer, 

and  who  has  been  styled  '  the  apostle  of  Scotland.'    Their  doc- 

<  as  may  be  seen  in  the  Confession  of  Faith 

and  the  lon-rr  and  shorter  catechisms."  —  J&i'cZ.,  3Gf>. 

••  '!'!;•  -li:-i  Presbyterians  in  Ann  riea  eaiue  fn»m  Kngland,  S 
land,  and  Ireland,  :il>ont  the  year  1700.     They  settled  in  what  i> 
now  a  part  of  New  Jersey  and  Delaware.     The  first  Presbyter  ian 


118  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  . 

church  formed  in  the  United  States  was  in  Philadelphia,  now 
known  as  the  4  First  Presbyterian  Church  '  in  that  city."  —  Ibid., 
page  367. 

The  following  is  a  part  of  the  Presbyterian  "  Con- 
fession of  Faith,"  taken  from  Chapters  III.  and  VI.,  as 
stated  in  "Creed  Revision,"  and  is  received,  together 
with  all  else  in  the  creed,  by  members  of  the  church, 
especially  the  clergy,  "as  containing  the  system  of  doc- 
trine taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  "  :  — 

u  III.  By  the  decree  of  God,  for  the  manifestation  of  his 
/  glory,  some  men  and  angels  are  predestinated  unto  everlasting 
life,  and  others  foreordained  to  everlasting  death. 

u  IV.  These  angels  and  men,  thus  predestinated  and  fore- 
ordained, are  particularly  and  unchangeably  designed;  and  their 
/  number  is  so  certain  and  definite  that  it  cannot  be  either  increased 
or  diminished." 

"  VI.    As  God  hath  appointed  the  elect  unto  glory,  so  hath 

he,  by  the  eternal  and  most  free  purpose  of  his  will,  foreordained 

x  all  the  means  thereto.  .  .  .  Neither  are  any  other  redeemed  by 

Christ,  effectually  called,  justified,  and  saved,  but  the  elect  only. 

u  VII.  The  rest  of  mankind  God  was  pleased,  according  to 
the  unsearchable  counsel  of  his  own  will,  lohereby  he  extendeth  or 
withholdeth  mercy  as  he  pleaseth,for  the  glory  of  his  sovereign 
power  over  his  creatures,  to  pass  by,  and  to  ordain  them  to  dis- 
honor and  wrath  for  their  sin,  to  the  praise  of  his  glorious 
justice." 

In  Chapter  VI.  the  following  occurs  :  — 

,  "  III.     Elect  infants,  dying  in  infancy,  are  rpgpnp.rated  a_nd 

'       saved  by  Christ   through  the  Spirit,  who  worketh  ^er^^and 

where,  and  how  he  pleaseth.     So  also  are  all  other  elect  persons 

whp^are  incapable  of  being  oT^ardlycalled  by  thp.  ministry  of 


"IV.     Others,  not  elected,  although  they  may  be  called  by 
the  ministry  of  the  Word,  and  may  have  some  common 


ri;i>M>i:\<  v     \\i>    PRIESTHOOD.  119 

-  _gf  the  Spirit,  yet  tliey  never  truly  come  to  <  h;iM,  and 
fore  cannot   be  ftfly<?d;(  mucK  Jess  can  i/. 

/<rr  way  what  soever  }  be 

tTey  never  sti  UlluJMl  to  ./W/mi  llkttr  lives  according  to  the  liahttf 
nature  and  the  law  of  that  religion  they  do  profess;  and  to  assert* 
and  maintain  that  they  may,  is  very  pernicious,  and  to  be  de- 
_•*."  —  Pages  21,22,  23,  34. 

Again,  Dr.  Srliatl'  saya  :  — 

—  ion.  then,  <  !  -      iour 

i«-   world  of  mankind,  luil   tin-  Saviour  of   the  rl 

:i  rontradietion   \o  Mevcnil  of  the  elf  !ara- 

.  such  as  1  .Inliii  ii.:  (  'lirist  is  tin    propitiation 
for  our  hi  also  for  [the  »ius  of] 

the  whole  w<>  —  Page  20. 

tin  :  — 

••  I'.MI  AugustiM  ran  his  system  to  an  iniol.-nil.lr  f\ln«nir.     It 
freedom.  \  lain, 

who  by  one  a*"  .:\r«l  ihc  wlmlf  liuuian 

in  tin-  Mavnv  of  sin.     It  su*pen  -rid  upon 

tint  our  onderans  the  wh«-'  lini;  W«M- 

for  a  single  transgression  com  mitt  <-l  \\ithoui  our  knowledge  an<i 
consent  six  thousand  years  ago.  <  >ui  «»f  thU  mass  of  i-orrupiH.n, 
God  by  his  SOVen  :«••!  a  romparalively  small 

portion  of  tin-  human  family  to  everlasting  life,  and  leaves  tin- 

ii,  without  doing  any- 
thing  to  save   them.     Cal\ini>m    in1  ihi^   IJlteilt   .   .   . 

The    Lutheran  (hutch    nrrepted    tht  of   tll«;    slave! 

iinan  will  in  the  strongest  i'm-m,and  also  the  unconditional 

. 


Dr.    Scliall'  i-   a    prnLrressive   l^-c-hytcrian.      Ih;   l»c- 

lievcs  in   luvakini:  away  from   the   old    :il>Minlif  ic-    fks- 

1  upon   men  in   the  past   by  the  creed,  ;m<l  moving 

mil    into  a.l\am-r«l    Ijohj    :imi  ;l  more  con-i<Ient    iM-lief. 

Mr  favors  a  revision  of  the  creed,  l>ut  will  they  revise 


120  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

or  condemn  him,  and  others  of  like  faith,  as  heretics, 
and  put  them  out  of  the  fold  ?     Says  he  :  - 

u  We  need  a  theology  and  a  confession  that  is  more  human 
than  Calvinism,  more  divine  than  Arminianism,  and  more 
Christian  and  catholic  than  either."  —  Ibid.,  page  42. 

"  The  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  originated  in 
a  union  of  immigrants  from  Ireland  and  England."  —  A  Blend- 
ing of  Irish  Presbyterianism  and  English  Congregationalism. 

The  first  presbytery  founded  in  this  country  was  in 
Philadelphia  in  1704.* 

It  is  not  difficult  to  trace  the  authority  or  priest- 
hood of  this  denomination  to  its  source,  — Rome. 

THE    EPISCOPALIAN  CHURCH. 

The  Episcopalian,  or  Church  of  England,  was  founded 
by  Henry  VIII.  of  England,  in  the  fore  part  of  the 
sixteenth  century^ 

In  the  early  part  of  his  life  he  belonged  to  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  and  wrote  against  Luther  in. defence 
of  the  claims  of  the  pope,  for  which  he  received  from 
his  Holiness  the  title  of  the  "  Great  Defender  of  the 
Faith." 

While  a  Catholic,  he  persecuted  unto  death  those 
who  would  not  subscribe  to  the  papal  faith.  Growing 
weary  of  his  wife  Catherine,  he  became  infatuated  with 
the  charms  of  Anne  Boleyn,  and  appealed  to  the  pope 
for  a  divorce  that  he  might  marry  her.  Out  of  policy, 
the  pope  declined  his  request,  at  which  Henry  became 
highly  incensed,  and,  at  the  instigation  of  Bishop  Cran- 
mer,  projected  a  scheme  to  place  himself  out  of  the 


r  Religious  Denominations,  by  Vincent  L.  Miller. 


n;i>im  \«  ^     \M»    PRIE8THOOD,  1  '1  1 

pope'-    power.    thai     he    ini-ht     i:i\r    free    >eope    to    hJ3 


All  Kurope  \va>  involved  in  the  dispute  eaused  hy  hi- 
unrighteous  demands,  and,  while  the  emit  rover*-  y  ra^vd, 
he  put  auay  hi-  kvifc,  and  artually  married  Anne. 

Kin-aired  at  the   eoursr   pursued    l>y  the   pop.  ;/.ed 

;    rvins   of   In-  o\\  n    kiii-doin,  relonned 
.  and  »leel:ire«l  hiin-.-lf  the  supreme  hea<> 
thvrlntrch  on  "//•//,. 

The  art;elr.,,t'taith  reeeiv*  d  \sere  :  (\  )  That  tlnM-lerny 
oiiLrlit  to  in-Iruet  the  pe..ple  a«  eMidiii'J  to  the  Lr«>-pi-l.  ('2.  ) 
That  liapli-m  i-  e->ential.  and  that  <-hil«lreii  ^hould  l»e 

1  for  original  -ii,  'ainin^  tin-  II"!;. 

(."•.)    That    peiiaure  i-    neee-^ai'V  to    >al\atiou,  and   c-on- 
'ii    to  a   prie-t    uhere   it  had.       (1.)    In  tin* 

cucliari>t   the  very  blood  and  tl«  -h  «>!'  Chri-t    \\ei-^_re- 
CCIved.      (5.  )    That  tin  •;.  \  to  snint^  for  inter- 

cession.     (6,)  1I"I\  \\ater,  holy  bread,  and  the  earry- 

iiiLT  of  eamlle-,  a-he-,   palin>,  and  ereepiiiLT  to  the  en»>, 
\\ei-e  retained  :    and  ma—  \va>  -a'nl    for  the  >oul>  in  pur- 


ThU  ereed  u  a  -    ehaiiL^'d    from  time  to  time,  and  was 


finally  ivsolved  into  tin-  Thirty-iiim-  Articles.  "John 
Wesley  abridged  and  reduced  tln-M*  thirty-nim!  articles 
to  twenty-live/'  which  \\ere  made  the  ha-i>  of  the  Meth- 
odistJjaJtli. 

:i-tandini:  Ilrnry  had  thrown  otl'  the  Roman 
soke,  lie  n-tained  her  intolerant  >pirit  of  prr>rriition, 
and  had  1':.  i  '.  rues  and  Mary  A-kew,,lohn  Laniln-rt, 


•  Fox'.  Book  of  Martyr.,  page  270. 


122  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

Thomas  Garrett,  William  Gerome,  Bernard  and  Mcr- 
ton,  Robert  Lestwood,  Anthony  Pearsons,  Adam  Dam- 
lip,  Thomas  Benet,  "with  a  great  number  of  others,  for 
presuming  to  differ  from  the  king  on  the  subject  of  the 
real  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  in  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  supper,"  *  publicly  burnt  at  the  stake  at  Smith- 
field  for  heresy.  During  his  lifetime  he  beheaded  two 
of  his  wives,  divorced  others,  and,  while  dying,  gave 
sentence  to  sacrifice  the  Duke  of  Norfolk. 
A  Catholic,  writing  of  him,  says  :  — 

"  At  the  time  of  the  death  of  this  merciless  tyrant,  which 
look  place  in  the  year  1547,  when  he  expired  in  the  fifty-sixth 
year  of  his  age  and  in  the  thirty-eighth  of  his  reign,  the  most  un- 
just, hard-hearted,  meanest,  and  most  sanguinary  tyrant  that  the 
world  had  ever  beheld,  whether  Christian  or  heathen."  —  COB- 
BETT'S  Six  Letters,  page  18. 

Of  his  chief  priest,  aider,  and  abetter  at  church  mak- 
ing (Bishop  Cranmer),  he  says  :  — 

"Black  as  many  others  are,  they  bleach  the  moment  that  Cran- 
mer appears  in  his  true  colors.  But,  alas!  where  is  the  pen  or^ 
tongue  to  give  us  those  colors?  Of  the  sixty-five  years  that  he 
lived,  and  of  the  thirty-five  years  of  his  manhood,  twenty-nine 
years  were  spent  in  the  commission  of  a  series  of  acts  which,  for 
wickedness  in  their  nature  and  for  mischief  in  their  conse- 
quences, are  absolutely  without  anything  approaching  to  a  par- 
allel in  the  annals  of  human  infamy.  Being  a  Fellow  of  a  college 
at  Cambridge,  and  having,  of  course,  made  an  engagement  (as 
the  Fellows  do  to  this  clay)  not  to  marry  while  he  was  a  Fellow, 
he  married  secretly,  and  still  enjoyed  his  fellowship.  While  a 
married  man  he  became  a  priest,  and  took  the  oath  of  celibacy, 
and,  going  to  Germany,  he  married  another  wife,  the  daughter 
of  a  Protestant,  so  that  he  had  now  two  wives  at  one  time. 

*  Fox's  Book  of  Martyrs,  page  279. 


PRESIDENT  V     \M»    PRIE81  u<  • 

•  X 

hiB  oath  bound  him  to  ha  all.__j|flfjMLaivh- 

,  L'UtniVrtl   til.-   l;i\V  ol"    Crlih:»r\  .    \\  h'>   h,-    him-,   ll     >,  ,-]  ,-l!\ 
k'-j't    his  (icrtlKin  J^OfOjjQ    tin-    i»:i!:io-    :ii   (  .in;  «  Thurx  ,  ha\  IIIL:.  a- 

104,  imported  her  in  achqa^"  etc.  — 

111    thr    timr    of    Kdward   \'I.    tin-    rlimvh    \\a- 
ll8hC(l    l^\     BD  I  '  :i!-|i:i!Ii.-ht.        Tlh'    Mj  >'l  -r«  .|  »;i  1 

in  Anirri.-a  \\.-is   dn-ivr.1    t'nun   tlic  (  'liurrh    «       i  uid, 

and  i  !  li.-r  authority  and  nmdi-l  lV«»ni  that  fliun-h. 

1'lius  ur    li:i\r    tlu»   oriiiin,  suun-r,  and    authority    <»f 
"the  Protestant  ('Imrrl, 

110111    \vllirh    !  VTftl    d<-rr|idrd. 


1  HI.    l.Al'l  I  II. 

Tlii-  B60(   had  it-  «>riLMii  111    •  to  Ihr  n 

ailthrlilic   arruiiht,   and    \\a>    tulllldcd     l,y    M.-niio    Minoiu 

-land.       They   \\nv    tir-t    calh-d 
Mcnnonitr>.      Thi-    i-   a»    lar   lurk  a-  ihnv  i-  any  rrrd- 

Btttborttgr  for  extending  thr  i;apti-i  drn<nninan.)n, 

although  thr  rlaiin  is  ni.idr  l.y  -«'inr  of  thrin  that  thrrr 
ui  uiiintrnMij»tr(l  lino  of  l»a|»ti-t  rhurrh«->  all 
k  to  thr  :i|ni-||«-,  thron-h  \\hirh  thr  pi 

liiHid  ha-  I..-,  -n  ti-an-inittrd  un-nllird  in  its  anthoi'ity  and 

•  •of  thr  Roman  Oatbolic  Obarch.     lint  this 

.  assumption,  fanciful  in  thr  rxtivmr,  havini: 
no  foundation  in  I'.i 

Tin;  BiMr    In-ini:   npp«.  laim,  Irt   u-  r\- 

ttmine  acme  of  the  evidences  advanced  in  its  support  i»y 

•  liold'niir  to  that  doLrma  :  — 


I  "mli  -r  tlie  figure  of  the  woman  (Hev.  xii.)  tin    chun-h 
:ii;es  in  obscurity,  ami  ;m  ol.x-urity  so  deep  a-  th 
8  waa  then   by  the  great  world  unknown,  a>. 

*  Appendix  K. 


124  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

now  with  difficulty  traced."  — The  Rev.  T.  G.  JONES,  D.  I).,  in 
his  History  of  the  Origin  and  Continuity  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
page  451. 

Query  :    Where  was  it  ? 

Let  Mr.  Jones  answer,  on  page  46  :  — 

"  As  a  visible  and  located,  organization,  where  is  the  church 
founded  at  Jerusalem?  For  long  ages  it  has  ceased  to  exist,  in 
member  digesta." 

Query  again  :    Where  is  there  one  like  it  ?   Not  among 
Catholic  or  Protestant  denominations  that  can  be  found. 
Again  :  — 

"  Since  the  kingdom  of  God  was  shut  up  in  our  bosoms,  and 
was  made  known  by  no  outward  sign,  they  (the  Baptists)  ex- 
isted by  hundreds  and  thousands,  as  if  not  in  existence." 

Such  is  the  kind  of  proof — dogmatical  assertion  — 
that  is  resorted  to  in  order  to  support  the  theory  that 
there  has  been  a  continuous  line  of  authority  extending 
from  the  time  of  the  apostles  unto  the  present,  outside 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  the  line  of  the  popes. 

The  Doctor  confesses  that  they  (the  Baptists)  — and 
he  allows  the  existence  of  none  others  — were  so  obscure 
and  in  such  dark  recesses  and  out  of  the  way  places 
that  none  knew  of  their  existence. 

He  closes  by  assuming  that  somehow  the  "kingdom 
of  God  was  shut  up  "  in  their  "  bosoms,"  and  that  -they 
existed  in  scores  and  hordes,  and  nobody  knew  of  them. 
Miraculous  !  Where  were  they  ?  If  this  be  not  a  day  of 
revelation,  how  did  the  Doctor  find  out  so  much  ?  Thus 
the  Baptists  endeavor  to  evade  the  ignominy  of  being 
an  offshoot  of  the  Roman  mother  by  assuming,  without 


I  KKSIDENCY    AND    P1UE8T1H  "  •! ».  1 -•"> 

proof,  that  a  pure  and  iv^e neratc  line  ha-  been  kept  up 

rill  the  uny  from    tin-   apo-tle-  to  the   present   time  out- 

of  the  Catholic  hiei  .  which  they  suc- 

:>-d   to  tli,«    prie-tho..d,  — the    keys    of   power    anil 

:,  —  an. I  they  brand  nil  the  other   sects  as    uuelenn 

and  destitute  of  authority  nud  ri. 

Hut   the  nio-t    tangible  reason  or  assertion  rendered 

by  Dr.  Jones  to  support    tin-  elaini   of  the   t  ran-mi--h>n 

<»f  authority   ihrnu-jh    IVipli-t    t-hurehe-    from   the   ftpos- 

tles  is,  th  it  of  Htc.sslty  there   i:iu-t    ha\  hain 

:id'iULr  all  the  way  do\\  u  from  t!  roiu   the 

see  it^    two    eihU.       liut    \\  ! 
?    or  the  one   rlid? 

It   is  true  that    were  there   a  gold    chain  !in<_: 

the  oeeau  at  Liverpool,  Knirlaud,  and  at   Ne\\  ^ 

ier  \\:i^seenof  the  same  material  and  make,  al-o 

e\teiidinir  into  the  oeean,  thi»ui:h  the  great  body  of  it 

mi'jht  !>e  huried    in    the  Atlantic,  one  nnuht   \\ith  >afety 

hide  that  tl:  <    hut    the    tuo  ends  of  the  same 

(hain.      But   If  ODO  Of  gold    -li«'iild   appear    in   Kuirland, 

and  in    America   one   >hould  l>e  seen   made   of  hay  and 

>traw,  it    would  take   one  of  the   wildest    freaks   (,f  the 

imatLrin:tt  lude    that    the    latter  wa-   the   other 

••hi  chain!     And,  comparatively,  the  \\\\\ 
Church  of  tn-day  in    it-   ir<'neral  contour,  orLrani/.ation, 
rine,  autho:  »9  botn    ahoiil    the    >ame    re>ein- 

hlanco  to  tho  ancient    church  at    .Jeru-alem  t  hat  a   chain 
of  hay  and  straw  d<  m  t«»  one  of  gold. 

Dr.  Dix,  in  spe.ikin^  upon  the  authority  question 
fr- >m  an  Kjn-copar.an  stand-point,  which  is  diflereiit 
from  the  one  assumed  by  the  Bapti-ts,  says:  — 


126          PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

"  This  is  the  constant  deliverance  of  our  branch  of  the  church 
[Episcopalian],  that  from  the  apostles'  time  there  have  been 
three  orders  of  ministers  in  Christ's  church,  — bishops,  priests, 
and  deacons.  .  .  .  That  the  .apostolic  office  continues  in  the 
episcopate.  .  .  .  The  phrase  used  to  state  this  connection  is  that 
well-known  one, — the  apostolic  succession.  .  .  .  We  have  not 
abandoned  it.  We  assert  it  as  fearless  as  ever,  though  sneering 
paragraphs  and  unwarranted  statements  go  the  rounds  of  the 
religious  press. 

u  Next,  let  me  say  that  the  denial  of  the  doctrine  is  in  many 
instances  the  result  of  misapprehension  and  misunderstanding. 
That  doctrine  has  been  presented  under  the  symbol  of  a  long, 
thin  chain,  stretching  from  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  down  to  our 
day.  The  strength  of  a  chain  is  no  greater  than  that  of  its 
weakest  link,  and  if  one  link  fail,  all  do  break,  the  whole  chain 
gives  out  at  once.  Now,  there  could  not  be  a  symbol  less  apt 
than  this  to  convey  the  idea  of  succession  as  a  practical  fact. 
.  .  .  The  idea  presented  is  not  a  chain,  but  that  of  a  net-work 
coextensive  with  Christian  organization,  a  net  spread  over  the 
entire  Held  of  Christendom;  meshes,  not  links,  are  here  past 
numbering.  .  .  .  It  means  simply  this:  that  a  true  ministry -has 
always  existed  in  Christ's  church."  —  New  York  Times,  Feb.  25, 
1889. 

Doctors  here  disagree.  The  Baptist  chain-symbol 
won't  do  as  an  illustration  for  an  Episcopalian.  There 
might  be  a  weak  link  discovered,  or  a  place  where  there 
is  none.  Dr.  Dix  undertakes  to  shift  the  difficulty  in 
order  to  stay  up  the  Episcopalian  assumption  of  having 
received  divine  power  by  transmission  through  the 
"episcopate,"  by  spreading  "a  net-work  of  true  minis- 
ters over  the  entire  field  of  Christendom,"  and  denying 
the  Baptist  chain  argument  or  assumption.  Living  in 
the  "  meshes  "  !  Nobody  could  find  them  !  The  Doctor 
concludes  it  a  more  difficult  task  to  test  a  "net-work" 


iliiLT   the   world    than    a  chain,      lint    if  there   \\.-i- 

":i     net-Work  "   there    \\:i^    "  ;i     thill     chain."        I»llt     neither 

CM     l»c     >houn.        It      i-    :ill    assumption.       "  Mystery, 
r»al>\  Ion  "  held  -  .  er  "all  kindred-,  and 

and    nation-."      Her   authority  and    religion   and 
hood  were   everywhere,  —  in  tin*  "m<  n.l  (»ut, 

as  sanvd  :in«l  |»r.»fain'  hi-tnry  ij  t-WOfk  " 

>ynilM)|    an-1    assumption    is   nan-lit    l>:it    a    livmuidun- 
hliud.      Tlir  fa« -t-  of  lii-tory  will  not  Mipport  it. 

Dr.  i  Kpi-rnpalian,  rl;tini>  "a  nrt-\soik  "  ;    \lr\  . 

tin    I"    have    rxtuidrd  (Mlt- 

-i<lc   of  tin-    Ionian   Catholic*  Church;   and    the    liumaii 

Catholics  claim   that    thc-ir  authority    dc-cmdcd    in    di- 

linc   Ihronirh   the    K'ninMi   pi'ie-thood    from    \* 


A  Keller  informed  class  of  HaptNt-  have  arisen  of  la!.- 
.  ho\\e\  er,  \\  ho  have  the  eonraL'r  and  inteuril  \  to  re- 
nounce the  al»Mird  elaim  of  Iran-milted  authority  through 
•itinuotis   lino  of  Bnpti-t    chnrche-,   and    COdfCBfl    to 
the    followii 

Heman    Lincoln,    D.    D.,    Prof.--..!-     of 
Chuivh  Hi-tory  in  Newton  Theoln^ical  Seminary:  — 

"  In  glancing  over  the  columns  of  the  Central  Baptist,  I  was 
hy  your  article.    (I'.y  Prof.  Norman  Fox,  of  William  - 

('ollrLTi',    Missouri.)       Its  sohor  views,    sterling  mumi'Mi  — rn-r.    ^J 

and  camli-i  il  <  ritnisms  pi  eased  me  greatly.    Your  views 

accord  with  those  of  all  scholars  who  have  given  the  matin  a 

thorough  investigation.     I  have  never  known  but  one  Baptist 

of    large  learnini:  an<l    s<»hn-  jml-mrnt    who   held  a  diffen-ni 

opinion  — the  lair  I  >r.  J.  Nrwton  lirown.  Hebelievr«l  that  asuc- 

•  11  «-t   tr-ur  Uaptist  churches  could  be  traced  in  a  <lin  ct  line 

the  apostolic  age  to  our  own  time.    Therefore  the  Publica- 


128  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

tion  Society  employed  him  to  prepare  such  a  history.  Five 
years  or  more  passed,  I  think,  before  the  first  volume  of  the 
work  was  ready  for  the  press  ;  -but  when  the  manuscript  was 
submitted  to  wise  judges,  it  failed  to  meet  their  approval,  and 
was  never  published.  Your  position,  I  think,  is  the  only  safe 
one.  We  can  attempt  nothing  more,  with  our  present  data, 
than  to  prove  the  existence  of  Baptist  principles  from  the 
apostolic  age  to  the  present  time.  To  trace  a  line  of  churches 
holding  these  principles,  unmixed  with  radical  errors,  no  wise 
and  cautious  student  will  undertake. 

"  Again,  Dr.  William  Williams,  who  has  so  ably  filled  the 
chair  of  Church  History  in  Greenville  Theological  Seminary, 
in  a  letter  says :  — 

"'  There  can  be  no  doubt  in  the  world  that  in  our  so-called 
histories  of  the  Baptists,  many  sects  are  claimed  as  Baptists 
which,  if  now  reduced,  would  not  be  acknowledged  as  such  by 
any  church  or  association,  e.  #.,  the  Novatians,  Donatists,  and 
Paulicans. 

"  4  From  the  fifth  to  the  sixteenth  century  inclusive,  there  are 
no  churches  (unless  we  except  the  churches  of  the  Mennonites 
with  some  errors)  that  can  be  called  Baptist  churches.  As 
history  now  stands  (what  future  researches  will  develop  we 
cannot  tell)  it  is  impossible  to  trace  any  chain  of  Baptist 
churches  from  the  days  of  the  apostles  till  now. 

u  '  Those  Baptists  who  are  urging  our  claims  on  the  ground 
of  an  historical  succession,  are  only  doing  harm  to  us  with  all 
intelligent  and  well-read  people.  We  do  not  need  such  aid  for 
the  success  of  our  principles,  however  much  Romanists  and 
High  Church  Episcopalians  may  think  they  need  it. 

"  '  Our  country  has  few  scholars  equal  to  Dr.  E.  J.  W.  Buck- 
land,  Professor  of  Church  History  in  Rochester  Theological 
Seminary.  In  a  private  letter  he  says:  "  My  historical  investi- 
gations make  it  perfectly  clear  to  me  that  a  continuous  line  of 
Baptist  churches  from  the  time  of  the  apostles  to  the  Reforma- 
tion period  has  never  been  established.  Orchard's  attempt  to  do 
it  is  sadly  weak,  and  would  disgrace  any  historical  writer." 

" '  He  quotes  the  Fathers  as  holding  views  which  they  con- 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PUIE8THOOD.  129 

demo,  ignores  many  facts  which  would  utterly  disgrace  his 

proposition,  and  shows  throughout  the  folly  of  working  from 

i  da  ry  sources  of  information.    The  valuable  collection  of 

1  with  the  same  faults  and  mistakes,  and  Mr. 

Ray's  "  Baptist  Succession  "  falls  into  like  errors.     1  am  fully 

persuaded  that,  taking  Hap  list  churches  in  the  strictest  m<> 

sens*  succession  can  never  be  historically  established. 

.(•lit. 

There  were  bodies  which  held  some  of  our  principles,  hut  tin  y 

ii  only  in  part.     We  do  reach  a  distinctive  ly  lo 
rhmvh  line  in  the  I  Vtrobru&ians,  in  1104,  and  I  helieve  that  \\  e 
elaim  that  our  distinctive  principles  were  perpetuated  con- 
tinuMii-ly  from  that  date  onward  into  tl.  nation  period, 

and  so  to  our  d  >\i\:h  a  part  of  the  history  is  obscure,  and 

the  line  may  he  a  broken  <»n.-.     What  we  ou«_:ht   to  rc*t  upon  i- 
the  historie  continuity  of  Baptist  principles,  and  their  iminuta- 

(feorgC    V  .    pn-^i-l.-nt    of    <   hic.iiro    Ua; 

Theological  Semin  1   one  of   our  ablest  professors  of 

Church  History,  si  an  unbroken  8ucc<—i<>ii  ••!' 

••*,  from  the  days  of  the  ajwstles  to  our 
day,  is  a  sheer  historical   picture.      My  opinion  is,   that 

:  impossihle  to  make  out  an  4  unhroken  succession  '  of 

SHCS  for  the  truth  outside  of  the  lloman  Catholic  Church. 

I  should  prefer  to  attempt  almost  any  other  intellectual  achieve- 

>!>le.M 

U4The  Donatists  arc  often  spoken  of  as  an  essentially  Dip- 
is  to  me  to  be  wide  <.f  the  truth. 

The  Donatists   had   their  I »i-hops,  presbyters,  and  deacon-,  nnr 

did  they  differ  from  t:  •    itholic  Church  in  regard  to 

the   proper  mode  and   subjects  of    baptism.      It    would   not 

MI<  ngthen  our  denominational  position  an  iota  to  make  out  an 

k.  ii    succession  of   regular    Hu-tist,  churches   from   the 

mes  to  the  present.     We  depend  on  the  "  law  and  tin 

i  unbroken  succession,  for  the  evidence 

the  church  to  which  we  belong  is  a  scripturally  constituted 
one.' 


130  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"  Eev.  David  Weston,  Professor  of  Church  History  in  Ham- 
ilton Theological  Seminary,  quotes  from  a  private  letter  of 
Dr.  Cramp,  author  of  '  Baptist  History,'  as  follows:  — 

"  c  Many  of  our  brethren  indulge  in  the  pleasant  thought 
that  Baptist  churches  may  be  traced  all  the  way  back  to  the 
apostolic  age.  That  they  existed  in  that  age  I  know  very 
well,  but  from  the  establishment  of  infant  baptism  to  the 
Reformation  is  a  very  dreary  time.  The  chain  may  be  there, 
but  it  only  appears  now  and  then,  and  the  connecting  links  are 
wanting.  Some  of  our  historians  are  credulous,  —  some  are 
careless.' 

"  Dr.  Howard  Osgood,  Professor  of  Church  History  in 
Crozier  Theological  Seminary,  and  one  of  the  most  painstaking 
investigators  that  our  country  has  produced,, says  regarding 
this  discussion:  — 

"  c  So  far  as  I  know,  history  does  not  tell  with  a  clear  voice 
of  Baptist  churches  from  A.  D.  500-1000.  I  do  not  think  the 
unbroken  succession  necessary  to  establish  the  validity  of  any 
Baptist  church.' 

"  The  above  quotations  are  taken  from  the  Christian  Record 
of  August,  1873,  page  348,  as  taken  by  that  paper  from  the 
Bible  Expositor,  and  is  the  evidence  of  the  historical  faculty  of 
the  six  principal  Baptist  Theological  Seminaries  of  this  country, 
touching  the  subject  of  'succession.'"  —  Found  Vol.  XXIV., 
page  18,  of  Saints'  Herald  for  Jan.  15, 1877. 

But  as  there  are  Baptists,  and  possibly  in  consid- 
erable numbers,  who  are  vain  enough  to  assert  that 
the  Baptist  Church  descended  in  direct  line  from  the 
apostles  to  the  present  time ;  and  others,  that  their 
"principles  and  views"  have  descended;  and  still 
others,  that  their  church  descended  directly  from  John 
the  Baptist,  it  may  be  important  here  to  briefly  exam- 
ine these  claims. 

The  latter  claim  meets  with  defeat  at  the  outset,  for 


AND   I-I:IK>TIIOOD.  I'M 

it   must   he  nhvious  to  any  IVihle  reader  that  John  tin* 

r»:ij>ti-t   founded  no  church,  and  of  course  none  could 

by  succession  havo  come  do\\u   tVoiu  him.     John  him- 

II.-  that  hath  the  Inide  is  the  bridegroom." 

>.)    John  was  the  friend  of  the  bridegroom, 

and  \\.i-  ease.    No  church  in  primitive  times  WftS 

nainrd    ifter    him.      Tliis    did    n..i    OOOQT   until    modern 

time-;    hence   the  fWPJ  name   "Mapli-l    Church"  shows 

church  to  have    been   of    remit    <>iii:in,  and   deteat- 

its  claim  for  antiquity. 

The  T.apti-t-,  however,  do   not    claim  "  apostolic  suc- 
ce»ion  "  ;     for   th«-y    -ay    that    the    "  aj  >i  »M<  »lie    otli.  e   c\- 
!  with  John   the   l.r|o\,  ,,n," 

pag<-  '(»cause  no   longer  needt-d.       Hut    who  told 

the    I»:i]  any  other-,    that    the   "apoMnlie   otiiee 

expired  \\ith   Jiihn   tlie  lM»lo\i-d  "?      D.M-S  ihr  T.il.lo  say 
Did   »I«  lhat    it    \\«.nl<l    expire   then  ?      Did 

1'et  ill,  or  John,  or  any   other   inspired   writer 

announce  such  a  tliinir?  No;  no  su«-li  atlirnntion  is 
made  I iy  any  of  tli.-e  witnesses  for  the  truth.  The 
I»apti-N,  then,  h  ;ined  this  position  to  start  with, 

which  is  a  flat  contradiction  of  Paul's  teaching,  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

44  And  he  [Christ]  gave  some  apostles;  ami  some,  prophets; 
and  some,  evangelists;  and  some  pastors  and  ten-  tin 

the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry;  for  lin- 
ing of  the  body  of  Christ:  till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of 
nth,  ami  <>f  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  per- 
fect man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  tin    fulnrss  of 
Christ."  —  Eph.  iv.  ll-i:;. 

The  Bihlc  thus  continues  apostles  (and  of  course  the 
apostolic  office)  and  prophets  in  the  church.     The  rea- 


132  PRESIDENCY   AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

son  for  their  continuance  is  given  in  the  next  verse,  as 
follows  :  — 

"  That  we  henceforth  be  no  more  children,  tossed  to  and  fro,« 
and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine,  by  the  sleight  of 
men,  and  cunning  craftiness,  whereby  they  lie  in  wait  to  de- 
ceive." —  Eph.  iv.  14. 

"  Sleight  of  men,  and  cunning  craftiness,"  in  that  they 
would  assume  that  the  apostolic  office  ceased  with  John 
the  Revelator,  as  no  longer  needed ;  and  that  their 
church,  consisting  of  only  pastors  and  deacons,  is  a  con- 
tinuation of  that  same  old  Jerusalem  church  which  was 
established  by  Christ  and  the  apostles.  There  are  no 
witnesses  anywhere,  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  who  have 
given  any  evidence  in  support  of  this  Baptist  claim, 
whose  statements  are  worth  relating,  and  the  Bible 
positively  contradicts  it. 

The  Baptists  disclaim  "popish  succession,"  calling  it 
the  "succession  of  antichrist";  and  that  "all  well- 
informed  Baptists  are  agreed,"  says  this  writer,  who 
appears  to  be  one  of  note  among  them,  "in  the  belief 
that  we,"  yes,  we,  "as  a  people,  have  continued  from 
the  times  of  Christ  unto  the  present.  In  other  words, 
they  hold  and  teach  the  perpetuity  of  the  church  of 
Christ.  They  believe  that  Baptist  succession  exists  " 
("Baptist  Succession,"  page  15),  and  that  the  Baptist 
Church  is  that  church.  But  which  Baptist  Church  is 
the  one  standing  in  the  true  line  of  succession  ?  This  is 
not  agreed  upon  by  Baptists  themselves,  and  there  are 
many  Baptist  churches  ;  yet  this  is  the  important  thing 
to  men  interested  in  knowing  the  true  way.  This  same 
writer,  who  seems  to  be  wonderfully  in  love  with  the 


ANIJ  pi:n>i  IKM.I,.  133 

Baptists,  and  down  on  everybody  else  (D.  B.  Ray), 

admit-   that    there   are    Bapti-ts    who    believe  in  MtOOeft- 
leny    that     the    |  .11    can    he   proved," 

yet    lie    QMayfl    tlie    t.i-k    of    proving    it.        Bold     fellou  , 
that  ! 

Again,  thi-  \\rit.-r  has  (ho  courage  to  Mate  that" No 
man  can  l»e  in  the  church  or  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ 
who  i-  ii"t  in  that  kiii'jdom  which  has  the  -accession 
tVoin  the  apo-tolic  Kg*."  <  )f  coiir-e  the  Baptist  ( 'hmvh, 
in  tlie  mind  of  the  \\  r  •  one  he  belongs  to 

the  one  in  the  line  <•'  and  all  \\lio  do  not 

l.eloii-j  to  it    are  oiit-'hle   of  t|i<»   church    or   kingdom, — 
'.  (MBM    N  *-\y    imp"i  taut,  then,  tl,  :im- 

inc  thi-  claim   in  the  liir:  i'.->tainent  facts. 

Chri-t    >ai«l,   "I    \\ill    htiild   my    rlinrrh."      Here    ii 
annotinrrd    that  a  church  uonld    he  luiilt.      This  church 
or    kingdom  iefined   in  a   prec.-din^  «-hapter  : 

l»ut  lor  the  lienctit  of   Bapti-ts    it    i-    IP  re    n  jain 

m   OOQOeCtioa  Nvith    their  claim    to   1>«-  a  continuation   ol' 
that  clmrch.       Paul,    in    speaking   of    th«    hpc.itic    (on- 
>lrnctioii  of  the  church  Imilt  hy  (  'liri-t,  >ay-  : 
are    the    Kody   of   ('hri-t,    and    iih'inl.ers    in    particular. 
And   (iod    hath  set   some    in   the   church,   tir-t    apo-tle-, 
ndarily    prophet-,  thirdly    teMhm,    at'ter   that    mir- 
I,  then  ijit'i-  of  healin--,  help-.  ir< >\crmnent>,  di\<-r- 

uiietoftoDgoes."     (1  Cor.  \ii.  ^7,28.) 

•ain    it     i-    \\rittcn,    when    (  'hri-t    "a-rcnded    tip   oil 

hi^h,  he  led  captivity  capti\  -  unto  men," 

•  Hows:    "And   lu»  gave  SOUK-   ap«»Mle-:    and    >oine, 

!iet>;   and  BOOM,  e\  anircli-ts,"  etc.      These  were    I.- 

itinne  rf  (ill  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith." 


134  '  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

God  set  these  officers  in  his  church ;  and  this  is  the 
organization  or  kingdom  that  was  built  by  Christ  and 
the  apostles,  and  the  only  one  which  they  did  build. 
Has  that  church  descended  down  to  us?  And  is  the 
Baptist  Church  that  church?  Don't  laugh,  reader,  at 
this  Baptist  presumption.  You  know,  and  they  know, 
and  every  Bible  student  knows,  that  their  church  is 
not  that  ancient  apostolic  church ;  neither  is  it  like  it 
either  in  authority,  organization,  or  doctrine.  The 
Baptist  Church  sets  itself  above  other  modern  churches 
in  its  high  claim  of  being  a  continuation  of  the  ancient 
church  and  kingdom  of  God  ;  but  it  is  no  more  like  the 
ancient  church  than  are  other  churches.  Have  they 
"first  apostles"  in  their  church?  No;  they  say  the 
"  apostolic  office  expired  with  John  the  beloved,"  not- 
withstanding Paul  affirmed  that  they  were  to  "con- 
tinue" in  the  church.  Have  the  Baptists  "  prophets 
in  their  church?  No:  with  them  prophets  "expired 
with  John"  also.  Then  have  they  "miracles"?  No; 
it  seems  that  miracles  also  expired  with  John.  Have 
they  "gifts  of  healings"?  No;  they,  too,  ceased  with 
John.  Have  they  "diversities  of  tongues"?  Oh,  no; 
according  to  the  Baptist  claim,  they  "expired"  with 
John  too,  as  no  longer  needed.  From  a  Baptist  stand- 
point, one  would  be  inclined  to  think  that  the  whole 
apostolic  church  "expired,"  from  a  predetermined  ne- 
cessity, just  about  the  time  that  John  died.  But  the 
Baptists  cannot  prove,  from  any  authentic  source,  that 
John  died  at  all ;  neither  can  they  prove  that  apostles 
were  to  cease  from  being  continued  in  the  church,  at 
the  time  that  they  fix  for  the  death  of  John.  One  is 


n;i.Mi>i  D  ram  HOOD.  135 

nidi  feel    ju-t    :i    little  sad   that    it   was   ever  an- 

nounced that  John  died  at  all,  if  indeed  all  thai  was  of 
chief  \\urth  to  men  pertaininir  to  the  -o-pel  cea-ed  with 

announcement. 

In  thr  kii._  bere  prere  tposiles,  proph- 

lifltS,    healin.  .    eic.  :     the    l'»apti-t 

Church    deny  thr    e\i-tence    of  any  of   the-o    officers  OF 

in  their  church,  yet    the\    have,  -ome  of  them,  the 

imptioii  to  say,  in  the  face  of  hihliral  protest,  that 
their  church  i>  the  continuation  of  the  ancient  apo-tolic 
church,  \\heii  their  chur<-h  ha^  in  it,  pi « .te--edly,  only 

•  rs  and  d  BFB.      The  a--uinj>t  ion  i- 

palpahly  ah-urd  for  >er  ;  atioii. 

Porther,    the    ullicer-    of    the    aj»o-l.)lie    church    \\ 

..nled  hy  di\  ine  ir\rlation,  and  \\ere  >et  apart  hy 
the  imp  of  hand-  hy  ijiialiticd  niini-trr-.  "The 

•id    Saul    for 

the  \\oik  whereunto  I  have  called  them.  And  when 
they  had  fa-led  ai  d  prayed,  and  laid  their  hand-  on 
them,  they  sent  tln-m  away.  So  they,  heiiiLT  sent  forth 

ley    the      Holy     (ihu-t,     d.-partfd     Hilt"     Selelicia."        (Aat* 

jain  :   "lint  a-  (  MU|  hath  di-lrihuh'd    to  every  man, 

ie    Lord    hath    <-alled    everyone,  so    let    him    \\alk. 

And   so   ordain    I    in  all  church  (1  Cor.  vii.   17.) 

ordained  inim-ter-  |fl  they  we;  i  hv  the 

IIoly(iho-t:    thi-  inetho<l  of  appointment    the    l>apti-t- 

r« -pudiale,  and  claim  that  th<'  eonirreiralioM  apj>oint.>  and 

Ifl  the  mini-ter.  Not  \\  ith.-tandin.Lr,  the  ISihle  says 
they  are  ^sent  l»y  the  Holy  (iho>t."  Is  the  l>apti-l 
Chun-h,  then,  modelh'd  after  the  ancient  Jerusalem 
church? 


136  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

In  the  church  of  Christ,  "  the  manifestation  of  the 
Spirit  is  given  to  every  msm  to  profit  withal." 

u  For  to  one  is  given  by  the  Spirit  the  word  of  wisdom;  to 
another  the  word  of  knowledge  by  the  same  Spirit;  to  another 
faith  by  the  same  Spirit;  to  another  the  gifts  of  healings  by  the 
same  Spirit;  to  another  the  working  of  miracles;  to  another 
prophecy;  to  another  discerning  of  spirits;  to  another  divers 
kinds  of  tongues;  to  another  the  interpretation  of  tongues."  — 
1  Cor.  xii.  8-10. 

These  were  the  choice  arid  special  gifts  that  belonged 
to  Christ's  church  or  kingdom  ;  yet  none  of  these  are 
to  be  found  in  the  Baptist  Church.  They  don't  believe 
in  them.  With  them,  they  all  "expired  with  John  the 
beloved." 

Paul  says,  again,  "  Follow  after  charity,  and  desire 
spiritual  gifts,  but  rather  that  ye  may  prophesy."  "Ye 
may  all  prophesy  one  by  one."  (1  Cor.  xiv.  1  and  31.) 
Baptists  have  no  spiritual  gifts,  and  denounce  prophecy, 
the  very  things  that  Paul  exhorted  the  members  of  the 
church  of  Christ  to  "  contend  "'for  and  "  desire."  Then, 
can  their  church  be  the  continuation  of  the  ancient 
church?  Preposterous  !  It  is  no  more  like  the  ancient 
apostolic  church  than  other  modern  evangelical  churches. 
Of  course  it  cannot  help  being  just  what  it  is,  and  this 
it  has  a  right  to  be  ;  but  it  is  this  haughty  and  unsup- 
ported assumption  that  demands  consideration  of  the 
true  inquirer.  It  is  assumed  further  that  Baptist  prin- 
ciples have  continued  down  from  the  apostolic  church  ; 
and  hence  the  Baptist  Church  has  the  precedence  of 
all  others.  "Baptist  principles  only  have  continued 
down,"  is  the  statement  of  one  writer,  and  this  is 
believed  by  the  larger  number. 


ri;i>iM  \«  ^     JJfD    PBIUTBOOD. 

Let  us  examine  this  claim.     The   l'»apti-ts  define  tin* 
principles  upon  whieh   the    I»apti-t   Church   i>  luiilt,  or 
6    \\hich    di-tii,Lrui-h    liapti-t>    from    all    other.-. 

follows  :  — 

u  1.     The  Baptists,  as  arlimvh  or  kin_:.l..in.  r«  cognize  Jesus 
*t  alone  as  their  founder  .m-l  h.-.i.l. 

Tin-   HaptisU  regard  lin    liil>le  alone  a«  their  rule  of 
faith  and  pra< 

U3.  The  Baptists  perpotuat  i  •  tli«-  r.il.lr  nnln-  of  tin-  Com- 
mandments; they  teach  repentance,  faith,  baptism,  Trnd  ilir 
Lord's  supper. 

"4.  Baptists  iimin-r-i-,  «>r  Lury  \\i(\\  (  hri>t  in  l>aj>t  i-in,  only 
those  who  profess  to  he  dca<  1 

44  6.     Kaptints  recognize  equal  n-jhts  or  privil.-i^s  in  tin*  ex- 
ii  of  the  laws  of  thcJiin.  1.  in  •  :i-i. 

-U  ohserve  the  Lord's  supper  at  his  tabl«   ii 
kingdom. 

U7.     Baptists  have  n  .;h.-r-.  l.ui   l.;i\v  i! 

selves  always  been  peculiarly  pei-srrnt»-d  and  rvrnwh.-n-  -j.ok.-n 
against.1'—  Bn,  <-<«*»<m,  by  I>.  K.  ii  A  v,  pages  19,  20. 


Now,  it   is  «nM-iioMaM«'  if  a  >iuurlr  (.!i<«  of  thrx«.  prm- 

<-ipl('S    a8    a    \\holr    \\ill     >l:iin|     thr    tr-1     of    i  II  \  <  -1  i  Lfat  loll 

according  to  the  Now  Tcstainmt. 


1.  wThe  BaptM-,asa  dnircli  or  kingdom,  r« 
ni/.r  ,!CMI-  Christ  aloiit*  as  their  founder  and  head." 
Jera0  Cbriri  never  Imilt  a  church  "alonr,"  ;^  <-lainnMl 
l»v  tlii-  liapti-t  expounder  of  the  faith.  Je-u>  dechuvd 
1-mj'hatieally,  "I  d«)  nothing  of  niy-elf;  hut  US  my 
leather  hath  tauirlit  IIH-,  I  sjwak  tlie-e  thini:-."  (John 
\iii.  28.)  A\"hy  do  liapti-t-  "  i'r,  ,,-ni/o  Jesus  Chri-l 
a-  their  founder/'  when  he  says,  "I  do  nothing 
of  myself?  "  He  that  sent  me  is  with  me  :  the  Father 
hath  not  left  me  alone;  for  I  do  always  those  tlii 


138  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

that  please  him."  (Verse  29.)  Again:  "I  have  not 
spoken  of  myself;  but  the  Father  which  sent  me,  he 
gave  me  a  commandment,  what  I  should  say,  and  what 
I  should  speak.  And  I  know  that  his  commandment  is 
life  everlasting :  whatsoever  I  speak  therefore,  even 
as  the  Father  said  unto  me,  so  I  speak."  (John  xii. 
49,  50.)  These  texts,  with  many  others  that  might  be 
quoted,  show  that  Jesus  Christ  did  not  build  his  church 
"alone,"  as  claimed  by  the  Baptists,  but  was  aided  and 
directed  by  the  Father.  Again,  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
an  agent  in  the  building  of  the  apostolic  church.  Said 
Jesus:  "But  the  Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost, 
whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach 
you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your  remem- 
brance, whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you  "  (John  xiv. 
26),  with  many  other  texts  of  similar  import.  The 
Father,  and  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  not  to  mention 
angels  and  men,  aided  in  founding  the  apostolic  church 
at  Jerusalem,  and  this  defeats  the  Baptist  claim  that 
Jesus  Christ  alone  founded  that  church,  or  what  is 
tantamount  to  it,  their  church. 

2.  "The  Baptists  regard  the  Bible  alone  as  their 
rule  of  faith  and  practice."  The  Bible  nowhere  affirms 
that  it  "  alone  "  is  the  rule  of  faith  and  practice  for 
Christians.  Jesus  and  the  apostles  declared  no  such 
thing.  But  on  the  contrary,  Jesus  said,  "  Man  shall  not 
live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  thatproceedeth 
out  of  the  mouth  of  God."  (Matt.  iv.  4.)  "  The  Holy 
Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall 
teach  you  all  things."  (John  xiv.  26.)  "He  will  guide 
you  into  all  truth."  (John  xvi.  13.)  "  How  shall  they 


ri:i>M'i  \«  v     \M.    PBIB81  IK  - 

they  l»e     >enl  '.'  "  |    1:1.     \.    \'t.  )       The 

mini.-try   in    '  -    church    were    de-i-nated    Ky    the 

Holy  Ghost,  he:  M  -ntial  that  it  continue   in 

tin*    rhmvh.       I)>T<    the  UiMe    de-i^nate    Ky   name    any 
livii  It'  not,  and  it  is 

for  thnn  to  i»rra»-li,  the  T.ihlr  "alone  "  i>  not  a 

;    \\a^  to  I.,-  a  guide  in 

the    rhmvh    a-    u«-ll  written   \\onl.      .'•;-,  the 

iii-pii-«'.|  hea.l   of  tlie  clnirch,  wliilo   miniMrrini:  an 

the  | |  1.-,   :  :  iie  \\rit;-  :  a-  an    «-»enlial 

irn'hle,  l»ut     no|     it    "  ai«. 

-ai-1,    "We    ha\e    aUo    a    inoiv  >mv  \\  onl  of  propli-- 

uh.-reiu,;  lhat  ^\  e  tak.  Pete!  i. 

«li«l   not    rxlmrt    to    tak  a'uL 

reh  the  Scriptures, "  l»iit   he    no\\herr    >a\-,    rely  on 

them  al.»ne.     s«»  the  Bccood  Boptist  principle  U  0bo wo 

to  I,.-  OOntltll  if  tlie    liihlr,   heir 

neon 

3.        "The    Iiaj>t5-tx    jM-]-j)rtnate   the    llililr   ol'der    of    the 

iinent-  ;    tln-y   l.-a.-h  ie|»mtanee,  faith,  linj.t 
an«l  the  !  'l'hi>   pi-ineiplf  i-  aUo  at   vari- 

ance with  the  word  of  (,.    ;.       liir  liihlc  doca  n 
that  "  repent  an.  •"  j  faith  in  the  oi'der  of  (  'Ini-- 

tian    doOtrilM    Hid    <  \  j  •  i  i'  :i«  •• .       Tbfl    annoiineeineiil   of 
Jolin  the  ISapti-t    \\:i  "litye:  ^in-jdoiu  of 

heaven  i-  at    lian.l."      (  Matt.   iii.   '1 .  )      ,\  '  lie- 

pent    ye,  and    helievc  the  no-pel."     (Marki.   !•"».)      But 
declaration-  \\ere  ni:idei«»  the  Jews,  who  accepted 
a    faith    in   God,  the    law,  and    the    pruphrls,  hut    \\ 
Dinners  and  tran  -    of  the   law  which  they  thein- 

cknowledged :    bence   tliey    \\eru  required 


140  PRESIDENCY-   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"repent,"  cease  from  dishonoring  the  law,  and  make 
ready,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand.  Repent 
and  believe  the  gospel,  which  includes  faith  in  God  and 
in  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  acceptation  of  the  doctrine  of 
repentance  and  baptism.  The  clearest  and  most  orderly 
presentation  of  these  principles  that  is  recorded  in  the 
Bible  was  made  by  the  Apostle  Peter  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost. Paul  says,  "Faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and 
hearing  by  the  word  of  God."  (Rom.  x.  17.)  Again, 
"He  that  cometh  to  God  must  believe  that  he  is,  and 
that  he  is  a  re  warder  of  them  that  diligently  seek  him." 
(Heb.  xi.  6.)  The  first  step  toward  a  Christian  con- 
version was  to  hear.  The  second  was  to  believe.  The 
third,  to  repent.  Fourth,  to  receive  baptism.  Fifth, 
the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  receiving  of  the  Spirit. 
This  is  the  order  set  out  in  the  New  Testament.  Com- 
mon-sense even  tells  a  man  that  he  cannot  repent  until 
he  believes  ;  for  repentance  is  to  cease  following  in  a 
given  way,  and  walk  in  some  other,  believed  to  be  more 
consistent  and  true.  The  true  gospel  order  as  pre- 
sented on  the  day  of  Pentecost  is  clear  and  explicit. 
Peter  stood  and  addressed  a  large  gathering  of  Jews, 
who,  at  the  beginning  of  his  discourse,  had  no  faith  in 
Christ  or  his  work.  After  hearing  Peter,  and  seeing 
the  marvellous  exhibition  of  power  manifest  on  that 
occasion,  they  changed  their  minds  about  Christ  and  his 
mission.  "  They  were  pricked  in  their  heart."  Indeed, 
believed  just  what  Peter  had  declared  to  them,  "That 
God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus,  whom  ye  have  crucified, 
both  Lord  and  Christ."  It  was  then  that  they  "said  unto 
Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  apostles,  Men  and  brethren, 


ri;i>iM  \(  Y     \\D    PBIB81  in"  »i».  11  1 

what  shall  M  They  >aw  the   folly  of  their   \^\^\ 

,  and  ii<»w  have  taitli  in  ,JeMi>  Chri-t.       What   next  : 
"Then  T  1   unto  tlirm,  Repent ,  and   l>e   lupt  i/rd 

y  one  of  you  in  thr  name  01  brisl  for  U>6  FB- 

ii'ii— ion  of  sin-,  and  ye  shall  thr,  gift  of  the  Holy 

Ghost/'     (Arts  ii.  37,  38.)     The  r  the  Holy 

Ghost  Was  doill''  be  oKtainrd  upon  thr    condition 

that  thry  \v<>uld  roinply  with  thr  rr.jniivinrnt^  of  thr  law 
thron-jh  \\liirli  the  Spirit  lf*l   -n.-n.      An  rxamplr    W*Z 

0  du\\  ii    :it     &  111.1:  ;  \,.\\     \\hrn    thr 

\\hirh  wi»rc  a!    Jfni-al.-ni    heard    that    Samaria 

-old    of  God,  thry  >.-nt    unto    thrill 

i-   and   Juhn  •    \\lio,    when    they    were   coinr    down, 

for   tlirin,   that    thry   ini-jlit    n-erivo    the    Holy 

\  »  t    he     \\:is    fallen    Upon    none    of   th 
only    they    \\rie    hapti/.rd    iu     thr    name    of     the     I 
.Jr-u-.  )      Then    laid     they    their    hands    on    them,    and 
d    the    Holy    (ih«»t  tfl   viii.   1  1-17.  ) 

'I'lu-  ,     .in,  detinile    -talenn-nt   <>fa  \\nrk  jK-rfonned 

1>\   tuoof  those  to  whoiii    »1  i    -iehiuLr  them 

all   thiiiLr-    \\hat-oever    1    ha  nnanded 

tt    \\\in.   I'O.) 

Paid    al-o   fallowed    the   >ame   order,  Mfl    ma\    l»e  seen 
ir   follov. 

"  When  they  lu-:ir«l  tin-,  tli«-y  \v.-i-r  l»:ipii/.e«|  in  the  name  of 
Lord  Jesus.     Ami  \\ln-n  1'aul  ha.l  lai>l  lii>  hands  upon  tin  in , 

1  (.  ..ii   th.m;  and  they  spake  with  tongues, 

1  '   —  AcU  xix.  ;V 

ith  in  God  and  in  Jesus  Christ,  repentance,  bap- 

ti-m,  and  thr  laying  on  of  hand-,  was  the  gospel  order 
us  praoti-cd  l»y  the  ancient  saints.     The  texts  relied 


142  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

on  by  the  Baptists  to  prove  that  repentance  precedes 
baptism  do  not  sustain  their  theory.  The  statements, 
"Repent  ye;  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand," 
"Repent  ye,  and  believe  the  .gospel, "were  addressed  to 
a  class  of  men  who  had  transgressed  Moses  and  the 
prophets,  and  were  under  condemnation.  They  were 
required  to  repent  of  their  iniquity,  with  the  further 
demand  that  they  accept  Christ,  with  his  doctrine  of 
faith,  repentance,  and  baptism,  as  taught  in  the  gos- 
pel. It  was  not  in  the  speaker's  mind,  as  the  contexts 
show,  to  give  the  order  of  the  principles  of  the  gospel 
as  believed  and  practised,  but  to  call  them  to  repent 
of  their  transgression  of  the  Jewish  law,  and  to  the 
acceptation  of  the  gospel  plan  as  a  whole.  Other 
circumstances  would  doubtless  demand  or  call  out 
different  phraseology  to  meet  them,  as  in  the  case  of 
Acts  iii.  19,  where  it  is  related  that  Peter  said,  in 
addressing  the  people,  "Repent,  and  be  converted." 

Again,  the  Lord's  supper  does  not  follow  next  in 
order  after  baptism,  as  claimed  by  Baptists,  but  the 
laying  on  of  hands,  as  has  been  shown.  The  washing 
of  feet  even  preceded  the  Lord's  supper  in  the  order 
of  time ;  hence  the  Baptists  are  wrong,  also,  in  their 
third  principle  that  is  assumed  to  have  come  down  by 
"succession." 

Feet  washing  and  the  laying  on  of  hands,  with  them, 
it  is  likely,  "expired  with  John  the  beloved/' 

4.  "Baptists  immerse,  or  bury  with  Christ  in  bap- 
tism, only  those  who  profess  to  be  dead  to  or  freed 
from  sin." 

Now  this  principle,  as  held  by  the  Baptists,  is  both 


i'!;i>lDKNCY   AND    n:n>l  BOOD.  1  \:\ 

al»-urd  ami    in  rontliet    \\itli   tin'    HiMe.      John  the  P.ap- 

ti-t  |  1  the  "  liaptism  of  repeutanee  for  the  ivmi>- 

sion  Of  >  .vhirh    1-    to    say,    lli;it    ivini  -M<  »ll  of  Mil- 

tallied    throiiirh   ol>edienee   to   tin*    nirv-aire   pre- 

ted  l»y  John,  that  i-,  faith,  repenianee,  and  hapti^in. 

Thi>  \\a-  «I.»nl.tlf-s  tin-  reason  th:»t  .Inliii  sai*l  to  Jesus, 

'II...!        :    ;  ;.ti/r.l    nt'   t  John    roiiM 

conct'ivr  tliat  IH»  iniirht  have  siu^  to  n-mit,  luit  lu»  could 

rould.      1'rhT  put  it,  "  1'r  l>ap- 
.'ii  in  tlir  natnr  ;    for 

thr    !  Aliani:i-    >:iid 

to  Saul,   w  Ari*r,  and    !M»   l»apti/rd,  and  wa-h   away  tliy 
sins.  li'..)       baptists    il.-ny    thi-    order 

\vliirli   \.  ;n   Chri-t'-   rhmvli,  and   l>apti/«- 

tho-c  who  air  already   "  frrrd   tVoin  >'n  an  out- 

.11    of  an    inwai  i.ihlo 

heard   <»f.      So   this   rhrri-hrd    fourth    pi  in- 
riplr,   \\ln-n  i    ill    tin*    l»al  found   \\aiil 

aUo  in  runtln-t  with  truth. 

f>.  '-'jual    ri-jht-  or  pri\ 

the    e\ernti.»n    of    the    1  the    kiiiL'dom    of  J. 

Chri-t."      I  >o    P.aj.t'.-  :i    l»y  thi-   that    inini-t.-r-    in 

their  rhmvh  all  hold  equal  authority?     If  so,  ti 

ppoted  toChriaffl  cmk  there  WM  a  dtstioo- 

tion    ifi   authority    held    l»\    his    iniiii-ir^.      Tlioy   were 
apostles,  sev.-nti.^,  elders,  hi-!,  .  deacona, 

.  >oine  ln-inir   greater  than  othrrs  in  point  of  oilieial 
Stand!  The    Baptist  elaiin  i<  faulty  here  aNo. 

iK-tion  i-  a|»pareiit  in  the  New  Testament. 
6.  :  i  Ms  observe  th<    .  -upper  at  hi-  tal»l«- 

in  his  kingdom."      Which  of  all    leading  evangelical 


144  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

churches  is  it  that  does  not  do  the  same  ?  How  came 
this  custom  to  be  peculiarly  Baptist?  Do  they  eat 
different  from  others  ;  and  if  so,  are  they  right? 

7.  "Baptists  have  never  persecuted  others,  but 
have  themselves  always  been  peculiarly  persecuted  and 
everywhere  spoken  against."  This,  it  appears,  is  also 
contrary  to  the  facts  as  known. 

Dr.  Buck  says  the  Anabaptists  of  Germany  "de- 
pended much  upon  certain  ideas  which  they  entertained 
concerning  a  perfect  church  establishment,  pure  in  its 
members,  and  free  from  the  institutions  of  human 
policy."  Some  of  them  thought  it  possible  "to  purify 
the  church";  others,  not  satisfied  with  Luther's  plan 
of  reformation,  undertook  a  more  perfect  plan,  or  more 
properly,  a  visionary  enterprise,  to  found  a  new 
church."  They  made  rapid  progress.  Scxne  believed 
JQ  the  doctrine  of  polygamy,  visions,  and  revelali o n . 
When  they  failed  to  carry  out  their  plans  by  persua- 
sion, "they  then  madly  attempted  to  propagate  their 
sjentiments  Ivy  force  of  arms.  Hunger  and  his  asso- 
ciates,  in  the  year  1525,  put  themselves  atTthe  headTof 
^numerous  army,  and  declared  war  against  all  laws, 
governments,  and  magistrates  of  every  kind.  (Buck, 
w Ecclesiastical  Dictionary,"  pages  15,  16.)  In  1537, 
Menno  Simon  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  Ana- 
baptists, supposed  to  be  "  exempt  from  the  fanatical 
frenzy  of  their  brethren  at  Munster  (though  according  to 
other  accounts  they  were  originally  of  the  same  stamp, 
only  rendered  somewhat  wiser  by  their  sufferings)." 

The  plan  of  doctrine  drawn  up  by  Menno  Simon  was 
of  a  much  more  "  mild  and  moderate  "  nature  than  that 


PRESIDENCY    AND    ri:il>riIOOD.   .  145 

of  the  "  furious  ami    fanatical    Anabaptists."       "  No|hm«r 

}>e  more  certain  than  the   fact,  ril.,  that   tin'   lir-t 
Mennonitc  congregation-  were  composed  of  the  diil'er- 

4  Anabaptist-, — of  tho-e  who  had  ' 
alway-  inotl'ensive  and  upright,  ami  of  tho-e  who.  !.. 
their  conversion  by  the  ministry  of  Mnmo,  had  been 

.  pp.  269,  27 

Thus  il  is  >hown  that   I'aptists  have  not   beefl  10    pure 

and    holy  as  they  would  like  to  appear.       In    the    mind- 

of  mo-t    !  ,  and  «-pcfi:illy  the  \\  ;  ilrr   of 

Slice •  all  ne.-irly  <  •!'  t  he  IK  »Me  men  and  \\oinen  \\  ho 

ha\  e  -|(M>«1  indi  ;  :'   truth    >inee    the  apo^tle^, 

ptbti«      I'lit  there  ix  no  more  authority  for  eall- 

iiiLr   th.-ni    P.aj.ti-t-   than    !»y   the    name    of    other    sects. 

Since  the  Viine  nf  the  :i|..»-tle^  th«-ri-  have  licen  m.-n  who 

lie!i.-\.-d,  doubtless,  that    iininc-r-ioii  i-  the  |»rop«-r  mode 

ipti-m,  luit  this  alone  did  not  make-  them    liaptists, 

in  tho  sense  that   I»apti>ts  are  know  n  ;is  a  denomination. 

ptists    say    that    they    "have    themselves 

always     been    peculiarly    persecuted    and    everywhere 

ipoken against."     Whatever  they  have  lived  they  ha\e 

i    the    victims  of  the   malice  and  li  iliers  in 

Kurope  and  America,  "everywhere   spoken  against." 

i  that  Is  "peculiarly "persecuting  the  P»ap- 

in  America  to-lay,  or  speakinir  aLrain>t  them?      If 
phlS  persecution  Consists    in    oth-  indoisinir  all  of 

the  Baptist  teachiiiLT  and  atliliatinir  with  them,  is  it  not 
equally  true  that  they  j.er-ecutc  others  because  they  do 
not  conform  to  their  view- ?  In  point  of  toleration  and 
lil>erality  of  sentiment  the  Iiapti-ts  are  n«.t  equal  to 
many  other  deuoiuination^.  The  r>a[)ti>t  pulpit  is  not 


140  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

a  free  one.  They  do  not  carry  out,  more  than  others, 
that  sentiment  expressed  by  the  Saviour,  "  Whatsoever 
ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to 
them."  The  writer  by  experience  chanced  to  know 
something  of  the  sweetness  (?)  of  this  exalted  church. 
Once,  when  in  Hudson,  Wisconsin,  he  desired  the  use 
of  the  Baptist  church  in  which  to  present  the  teaching 
of  the  New  Testament,  but  the  Baptist  minister  in- 
formed him  that  the  church  was  dedicated  "for  us,  and 
us  alone,  and  we  don't  want  others  to  use  it."  Again, 
the  writer  was  turned  out  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
Charles  City,  Iowa,  after  they  having  agreed  to  allow 
him  the  use  of  it  for  five  consecutive  evenings ;  yet  no 
objection  was  offered  against  what  he  preached  as  not 
being  New  Testament  doctrine  ;  and  he  has  had  many 
similar  experiences  with  them  since.  Baptists  call  such 
treatment  as  this,  when  extended  to  themselves,  perse- 
cution. What  is  it,  then,  when  they  extend  the  same  to 
others  ?  The  Baptists,  then,  persecute  others  right  here 
in  the  United  States,  in  a  mild  form,  the  only  way  they 
dare  do  it,  by  putting  them  out  of  their  houses  of  wor- 
ship, and  ostracizing  them  and  hedging  up  their  way. 
Do  others  do  more  to  them  ?  So  away  goes  the  seven 
cherished  principles  adhered  to  by  the  Baptists,  with  the 
possible  exception  of  the  sixth,  as  having  come  down  to 
them  by  "succession"  from  the  apostles.  All  of  truth 
expressed  in  them  does  not  belong  more  to  Baptists 
than  others,  and  in  the  Christian  churches  in  general. 
But  in  thus  examining  the  question  of  succession  by 
certain  principles  accepted  by  the  Baptists,  which  are 
found  to  be  wanting  when  compared  with  those  of 


ri:i>n>r\<  }     \\D   HMKSTIIOOD.  147 

Christ's  church,  the  lnvach    is   not  more  apparent   than 

>hould  we  take  some  of  the   important    principles  that 

1  :iiivh  from  all  others,  anil  com- 

thciu  with  what  is  actually  taught  and  (relieved  )>\ 

If  there  was  any  one  peculiarity  that 
chief  in  (li-tinLrui-hini:  the  rarly  church  tVoin  all  ot!. 
it  wa<  that  of  the   1>apti>m  of  the  Holy  Spirit.      With 
the   mini-try  of  John  it    heiran  to  U-  tanirlit,   "  I    indeed 
l»apti/-  \\illi    water:    hut    he    >hall    liapli/e 

you   with   the  Holy   Gho-t."  uk    i.    8.)      Jesus 

id    commanded    them    n.it    to   depart  from 
alein    until    the    reali/ation  of  t hi>,   "which,   saith 
hrard  of  i:  i.  4.)      This   pccul- 

iarity  of  ( 'hriM'-  doctrine  mi-lit  \\ell  In-  lik«-ne(l  nnto 
"new  wine  Ix-inir  put  into  old  hottl,  i  lu»  in- 

>ti'ucted  the  I'hari-rrs   touching   hi>   princij''      .       I 
\\(ie  to  l>e  liapti/.-d  with  the  Holy  Spirit   w  ho  acccj)te<l 
the    doctrine    taught     l»y    John    and    Jr-u-,    and    i 
other-,    l.ecau-e    ne\\    ve>>eU,    and    none  others,   could 
:iiii  it.  .v  wine  inii-t    I»r  put    into  neu   hollies; 

and  l>oth  nre  preserved.  No  man  also  having  drunk 
old  \\ine  -traiirhtway  de-ireth  new;  for  he  saith,  '1'he 
old  i>  Letter."  (Luke  v.  38,  89 

Peter,  on  the  d.-iy  of  Pentecost,  speaking  of  this  hap- 

li-in  and  power,  says,  ^For  the  promi^*  is  onto  you, 

and  to  your  children,  and   to  :ill   that   are  afar  oil',  even 

my  M  tlie  Ix>rdour  i  ;«•«!  -hall  c.-ill."    (  Acts  ii.  39.) 

Paul,   speaking  of  this    feature  of  the    faith. 

l»y  one  Spirit  are  \vc  all  hapti/ed  into  one  hody." 
(1  Cor.  xii.  I'.}.)  P>ut  this  chief  feature  of  the  early 
C'hri>tian  faith  18  not  helieved  by  the  P.aptists  at  all. 


148  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

No  one  among  them  claims,  or  has  ever  had,  the  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Spirit,  nor  do  they  teach  the  doctrine 
to  their  adherents,  as  did  John  and  Jesus.  They  even 
go  so  far  as  to  teach  that  "The  real  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  always  endowed  the  possessor  with  the 
gift  of  tongues,  or  inspiration  "  ("  Baptist  Succession," 
by  Ray,  p.  12),  and  these  spiritual  gifts,  they  stoutly 
argue,  "expired  with  John  the  beloved."  The  Baptist 
Church,  then,  does  not  believe  in  or  teach  the  principles 
necessary  to  bo  believed  in  and  taught,  in  order  to 
make  a  legitimate  succession  of  the  early  or  apostolic 
church. 

Rev.  A.  D.  Gillett,  A.M.,  pastor  of  the  Eleventh 
Baptist  Church  of  Philadelphia,  in  making  a  plea  for 
Baptist  succession,  says  :  — 

"  We  want  it  distinctly  to  appear  that  we  hold  the  existence 
of  our  principles  and  not  our  name.  We  do  not  say  that  a 
separate  church  has  been  known  as  a  Baptist  Church  from  the 
apostles,  but  views  and  practices  .  .  .  held  by  Christians."  — 
History  of  Religious  Denominations  in  the  United  States^  by 
D.  EUPP,  page  46. 

Just  think  !  here  it  is  presumed  that  somebody  had 
"views"  and  "practices"  of  Christian  character;  and 
then  it  is  presumed  further  that  they  were  Baptist 
"views"  and  Baptist  "practices."  With  equal  pro- 
priety he  might  have  assumed  that  they  were  Metho- 
dist "views"  and  Congregationalist  "practices,"  for 
each  and  all  of  modern  churches  hold  some  Christian 
views  and  practices,  even  heathens. 


PRESTO]  :>    ri;ii>TIK)OD.  149 

"  Socinwns  united   with   the    A  ,>ml    both  of  them 

deriving  their  Oriyin  from  Luthtr  an 

"^  SIM  ii  the  illusions  of  the  Anabaptists,  and  are 

sensi  ts  by  following  th     principles  of  Luther  and  the 

rest   of    t  it    they    rejected   baptism   without 

imrueiM'Mi,  and  infant    baptism;  for  this  rSMOD,  that  they  did 

;.nd  ihrm  in  theN-ripti.  they  were  made  to  believe 

all  was   contained.      The   Cnitarians  or  Socinians  united  with 

tin  in,  yet  not  SO  as  to  keep  within  the  limits  of  their  maxims, 

because  t;  . d  from  the  reformers 

hem  further.      M.  Jurieu  remarks  that  they  came  forth  a 

long  while  sin*  «,  from  the  midst  of  the  Church 

is    the   wonder?     Luther   and  Calvin  came 

a-  tiny.  ...   it  was  ill  the  bosom  of 

these  ch u  amon-M   the  >\\Ns  and  the  Polish 

Protestant >,  that  the  I'mtarian-  smi-ht  a  sanctuary.  LYpulsed 
sr  <-hnrehe^,  they  rai>e<l  themselves  a  sutlicient 
num!»»T<»f  disciples  am«>n-^t  tin-  rest  of  them  to  make  a  sepa- 
rate body.  TUst  bcjODd  qnestion,  WM  their  origin.  .  .  .  This 
sect  (the  Cn  was  nothing  but  a  progress  of,  and  a 

the   dour  'iiber,  of  Calvin,  of  Zwinglius, 

!.  nn«>n,  the  last  of   whom  was  one  of   the  heads  of  the 
Anabaptists.     There  you  will  find  all  th"  were  but '  the 

.  as  it    weiv,  th<;  dawn  of  the   Reformation, 
and  that    Anabaptism  j»»ined  to  Sociauism  is  the  mid-day. '"  — 

'•*t<mt  Churches,  by  JAMES 
r.iNK.N  B08f  I  II.,  pages  310,  311. 

"Therefore,  when  Muncer,  with  his  Anabaptists,  assumed 
title  and  funct  pastor,  Luther  would  not  suffer  the 

question  to  turn  <>n  what  he  mi^ht  call  essential,  or  admit  he 
should  prove  his  doctrine  from  the  Scriptures,  but  ordered  he 
should  be  asked.  Who  had  given  him  commission  to  teach? 
Should  he  an  od,'  let  him  prove  it. 

"The  Anal  hoot  of  the  doctrine  of  Luther, 

who  were  formed  by  pushing  his  maxims  to  their  greatest 
i  in  the  tumult  of  the  boors,  and  began  to  turn 
their  sacrilegious  inspirations  to  manifest  rebellion. 


150  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"  The  revolted  peasants  had  met  together  to  the  number  of 
forty  thousand.  The  Anabaptists  rose  in  arms  with  unheard- 
of  fury."  —  Ibid.,  Vol.  I.,  pages  37,  51,  52. 

"  The  truth  is,  that  the  Anabaptists  of  the  Reformation  were 
of  diversified  character.  Some  of  them,  if  we  are  to  credit 
the  charges  made  against  them,  rested  their  pretensions  to 
superiority  as  Christian  churches  exclusively  on  the  mode 
of  administering  baptism.  Others  were  called  by  the  same 
name,  who  insisted  that  there  was  no  necessity  for  church 
organization,  and  denied  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection.  But 
there  is  the  clearest  and  most  ample  evidence  to  show  that,  in 
contradistinction  to  these  parties,  there  were  sincere  and  exem- 
plary people  who  formed  their  articles  of  faith  in  the  simple 
words  of  the  New  Testament,  and  evinced  the  most  peaceful 
spirit.  Some  of  the  Anabaptists  held  the  theory  of  a  com- 
munity of  good."  —  Congregational  Histoiy,  pages  706,  710,  by 
JOHN  WADDJNGTON. 

"  The  Baptists  in  former  times  frequently  called  themselves 
Antipedobaptists  (opponents  of  infant  baptism) ;  while  by  others 
they  were  known  as  Anabaptists  (Rebaptizers).  The  Baptists 
have  always  repudiated  the  latter  designation.  They  never  re- 
peat the  initial  Christian  rite  upon  one  who  has  received  scriptural 
baptism.  .  .  .  Baptists  assert  that  their  doctrines  were  held  with 
more  or  less  fulness  by  various  sects  of  so-called  heretics  of  the 
middle  centuries,  notably  among  them  the  Cathari,  Paulinicans, 
Josephites,  Arnoldites,  Lollards,  Mennonites,  and  many  others 
flourishing  in  every  quarter  of  the  Christian  world,  and  con- 
tinuing in  some  instances  down  to  the  clays  of  the  reformers. 
.  .  .  Hansard  Knollys  was  the  pastor  of  a  church  in  Dover, 
K.  H.,  which  he  founded  in  1638.  This  was  a  Congregational 
organization.  Very  soon  after  the  formation  of  this  church  he 
became  a  Baptist,  and  proclaimed  his  sentiments  to  his  people. 
About  the  same  time,  1639,  the  illustrious  Roger  Williams 
founded  the  Pirst  Baptist  Church  of  Providence,  R.  L;  this 
was  the  first  Baptist  community  in  America,  and  is  in  existence 
still.  .  .  .  The  regular  Baptists  in  all  countries  recognize  but 
two  classes  of  officers  in  their  churches,  pastors  and  deacons; 
the  former  serve  only  in  the  ministry  of  the  word,  and  they 


PftESIDKHOT    \\i>   n;ii>Tii<>OD.  151 


possess  e<iu;tl  authority.      P.apiiM  chin.  -Ins  arc  congregational 

'v  in.  inl.rr   lias  u   right  to  vote    in 

»'hu:  ;i     all    questions,   anil    the    decision    of 

ftists  are  Calviniste.    They 

use  the  word  'partiet;  t  in  :l  limited 

:it."     -  The  :    of    Uni' 

8  f.dl..\\  in-j-  is  in  evid  DOC  that  no   tr,'m-mi»i<>n  of 
autliorii  IIH-  «l«iwn  to  tin-  juv-nii,  ritlu-r  *.li  rough 

liapli-I  ui-  p-ipi-t  i-laiin-:   — 

M  R  iwerer,  tlial    there  is  any  uni- 

-:iMMi4  u:  Q  thr  thn-r  or  four  sup- 

posed  successors  «•  xi\>  Mr.  Walsh,  the  author  of  a 

'•ill  h-ann-d  hiM..i\   ..1   the  popes,  originally  pub- 

.i-ln-d  in  (ii-nnau:  — 


iiiivh  of   1,'mnr  l»y  the  constitu- 

ii«»n  <»f  otlu-r  apostolic  rhmrhr-,  >hr  i-nnld  have  had  no  partic- 

ular hi>hop  ln-ton-  tli-  toy.     The  ancient 

lists,'    In:  ad«i  iirtnry   that  it   would  he  iinpos- 

:»-nniiif,  either  th<  ion  of  the  bishops, 

or  tl  nology.    goroe  say  that  (  lemens,  of  Rome,  had 

.    inr-l  1»\  i:  and  was  his  immediate  suc- 

cessor.     Otlit-r-  place  Linus  and  ('N-tns  hrtwixt  them.     A  third 

set    nam  .    but,   instead   of   ('Ictus,    name  Anacletus, 

An.  -i.ri,  I.:,>tly,  a  fourth  party  states  the  suc- 

cession ihn-:   1'.  tt  r.   Linos,  Cletus,  Clemens,  Auacletus.'"  — 

-es  of  the  Popes. 

Dr.  Comix  \   Irarnrd  diviue  of  the  Church  of 

pon  the  wholr  matter  there  is  no  certainty  who  was  the 

•  p  of  HOP  to  the  apostles,  and  therefore  the  Ro- 

manists build  upon  an  ill  bottom  when  they  lay  so  great  weight 


152  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

on  their  personal  succession."  — DR.  COMBER  on  Eoman  For- 
geries in  Councils,  Part  I.,  Chapter  I. 

"  Amidst  all  these  varying  and  opposing  lists,  this  contra- 
diction and  confusion  worse  confounded,  how  utterly  baseless 
must  be  those  pretensions,  whether  made  by  the  papists  of 
Kome  or  the  semi-papists  of  Oxford,  which  are  founded  upon 
a  supposed  ascertained  and  unbroken  descent  from  the  apostles! 
The  arguments  to  sustain  them  are  lighter  than  air.  Hence  we 
are  not  surprised  to  hear  that  bright  luminary  of  the  British 
establishment,  Archbishop  Whately,  declare  his  solemn  convic- 
tion that  '  There  is  not  a  minister  in  all  Christendom  who  is  able 
to  trace  up,  with  any  approach  to  certainty,  his  ovm  spiritual 
pedigree.  .  .  .  That  any  one  who  sincerely  believes  that  his 
claim  to  the  benefits  of  the  gospel  covenant  depends  on  his 
own  minister's  claim  to  the  supposed  sacramental  virtue  of  true 
ordination,  and  this  again  on  apostolical  succession,  must  be 
involved,  in  proportion  as  he  reads,  and  inquires,  and  reflects, 
and  reasons  on  the  subject,  in  the  most  distressing  doubt  and 
perplexity.'" — WHATELY  on  the  Kingdom  of  Christ,  Essay, 
History  of  Romanism,  pages  48  and  49. 

"The  following  facts  are  undeniable,  namely,  'that  the 
Koman  Catholic  religion  was  the  religion  of  all  Christian  coun- 
tries and  governments  until  about  the  year  1520,  when  Henry 
ihe  Eighth  was  king  of  England."7  —  COBBETT'S  Six  Letters, 
page  2. 

Admit,  as  is  held  by  all  Protestants,  that  the  "little 
horn  "of  Daniel  (Dan.  vii.  8,  23)  represents  the  papacy, 
and  the  above  appears  quite  correct.  This  evil  power 
was  to  make  "  war  with  the  saints,  and  prevailed  against 
them."  "And  it  was  given  unto  him  to  make  war  with 
the  saints,  and  to  overcome  them  :  and  power  was, given 
him  over  all  kindreds,  and  tongues,  and  nations."  (Rev. 
xiii.  7.)  So  there  is  no  place  for  a  connected  line  of 
anything  outside  of  the  Catholic  Church. 


\\i>   ri:ij>rnooi).  153 

The  tir>t  n.ipti-t   church  in   America  was  formed  by 
U'illiam  .  ridente,  U.  I.,  a  distenter  from 

the    Church  .'l.-iii.!.      He   had    been   baptized  and 

i  liy  mini-ter-  of  that  church.  But  "he  re- 
nounced hi-  haptUm,  vr«fl  rebapti/ed  by  .Mr.  K/.ekiel 
llolvman,  then  prorr.-drd  to  l>apti/c  him  and  ten 
"lli.  :  thus  formed  the  !ir>t  Uapti>t  elinreh  in 

!."• 

Tin-  MUthority  lor  this  establishment ,  if  there  was  any 
a!  all,  wa-  tVoin  K.»III.-  through  tlie  Cliun-li  of  Kimland. 
Simon,    the    c-li  jiuator    of    the     P>apti>t 

Chnreh,   was  a   Roini>h    prieM  ;    and    Koirer  William-, 
thr    tuiinder  of  the  >r.-i    in    Aim-ric-a,  \va>   a  Chuivh   of 
.11. d  clfriryiii:iii.      Henee  it  i-  not  dillienlt  to  deter- 
mine the  authority  upon  which  the  Haptist  Church  rests 
!>oth  in  the  ( )ld  and  the  N.-u  NN'orld,  it>  inception  hein^ 
from  Koine,  and  the  (»ll'-priiiLr  from  Kpi-copal  Kn^land. 
All    of    the    al»o\c-namcd    sects    sprang    out    of   the 
papacy,  with  papal   aiithorii  lahlish   them,  if  any 

11,  and   they  h;1  lai<l  claim   to  a  sulliciently 

near  t    or  relationship   to  the  old   mother,  as  to 

ha\«  of    her  transmitted  authority,  with  the 

otiou,  the   I»apti-t>,  and   they  make  such  a 
./mi:  in   their  attempt   at    maintaining  their 
claim,  t;  their  own  l>e>t  informed  men  scoff  and 

ridicule  it. 

The  mother  —  Koman  Catholic  —  held  the  keys  of 
authority,  or  so  claimed.  Her  children  rebelled,  took 
a  little  of  her  lea\  en  of  authority,  and  set  up  for  them- 
selves. The  mother  would  hurl  hulls  and  anathemas 


Munii'i  Kcctaiiaflticul  History,  page  380. 


154          PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

at  her  rebellious  children,  and  they  in  turn  would  brand 
her  with  the  vilest  of  epithets,  and  continue  to  build 
themselves  up  according  as  each  leader's  fancy  prompted 
him. 

The  reformers  all,  with  one  voice,  declare  that  the 
Roman  Catholic  is  the  church  symbolized  by  the  woman 
of  Rev.  xvii.,  and  named  the  "Mother  of  Harlots." 
Conceding  this  as  true,  after  reading  the  history  of  the 
rise,  progress,  and  claims  of  the  Reformation,  it  is  not 
difficult  to  divine  as  to  who  is  meant  in  the  text  as  the 
daughters  ;  sad  and  disconsolate  as  it  may  appear,  we 
cannot  evade  the  logic  of  facts.  To  deny  is  foolish. 

The  mother  was  intolerant,  superstitious,  and  oppres- 
sive. The  daughters  inherited  mildly  of  her  inclinations 
and  instinct.  Each,  in  turn,  as  she  gained  power  and 
popularity  over  that  of  others,  has  dogged  and  perse- 
cuted those  not  in  affiliation  with  her.  If  not  done 
by  the  authority  of  the  organization,  it  winked  at  the 
actions  of  their  communicants. 

Even  in  the  land  of  America,  "the  home  of  the 
free,"  where  science  and  religion  are  fostered,  and  toler- 
ation and  the  rights  of  men  are  the  boast  of  the  land, 
the  old  persecuting  spirit  has  had  a  lurking  and  resting 
place;  and  men's  consciences  have  been  proscribed, 
and  they  persecuted  unto  death,  the  strong  arm  of  the 
law  but  standing  in  the  way  of  re-enacting,  in  many 
instances,  the  old  vicious  and  horrid  cruelties  of  the 
days  of  the  Inquisition. 

Thus,  notwithstanding  the  great  pretensions  to  divine 
power  and  right  laid  claim  to  both  by  the  Romanists 
and  some  of  the  Protestants,  they  fail  to  show  the 


-I  I. IN«   ^     AM)    I'KIKVrilOOD.  155 

mm  links  of  tin-   chain  they  arirue  ha-  extended 

nil  tin-  way  down  from    Peter  to  the  proent   time,  and 
through  which  the  priesthood,  with  its  power  and  gifts, 

Bitted. 

Although  volumes  have  heen  written  !>y  the  most 
learned  ;md  a-tule  of  \.  live  parties  holding  to 

traiiMnilt.  d   authority,   they    fail,   unmistakaMy  tail,  to 
-how  the  traiiMni  — ion  :   and   their   learned   and   labored 
•nly    Lr<>    the    more    to   prove    the   weakness   of 
their  claim-  and  poMtivme^  of  their  assumptions. 

!'•  -liniiiing  the  |;.» man  Catholic  claim  for  trans- 
mitted authority,  the  !  claim  remains  .still 
UDftU  if  the  KomMi  Church  held  the 

:it'ei-   authority,   she    could    also 

.inmunicate  :  and  thi>  is  just  what  she  has  done 
with  all  IV'-tcMant  sects,  whether  receivinu:  of  her 
>uppo-ed  transmitted  authority,  or  otherwise,  from 
Alpha  to  (  )  Mowing  >how>  :  — 

u  >\  .inuiii.-at.-  ami  anatln-iuati/r,  in  the  name  of  (in<l, 

Ihost,  and    by  the    authority   of   the 

blessed  apostl  l'aul,:uul  l»y  otir«»wn,  all  Wickliilites, 

<  'alviiii>ts,  Ilugumots,  Anabaptists,  and 

all  Oil  :«•$  who  do  not  believe  like 

ui  ('atli«»lics]  by  whatsoever  name  they  are  called,  and  of 
whatsoever  p.  lie;  and  also,  all  schismatics,  and  those 

who  withdraw  tb>  inately  from  the  obedi- 

ence of  the  Hi-hop  of  KniiH-;  as  aNo  their  adherents,  receivers, 
and  generally,  any  defenders  of  them,  together  with 
all  who,  without  the  authority  of  the  apostolic  see,  shall  know- 
*'/i,  or  print  any  of  their  books  which  treat  on  reli- 
gion, or  for  any  cause  whatever,  publicly  or  privately,  on  any 
nee  or  color,-  '  —  Bull  of  Gregory  XII.,  1411; 

Piu.,  mi    I'll  I.,  in  I'.JT;  and  Pius  IX.,  October,  1859; 

Itomonum  and  the  Republic,  page  222. 


]56  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

Thus  it  is  in  vain  that  we  look  to  Martin  Luther, 
John  Calvin,  Menno  Simon,  John  Knox,  or  Henry  the 
Eighth  —  accepting  that  each  and  all  made  rapid 
strides  in  the  direction  of  reform  and  progress,  did  a 
most  commendable  work  —  as  the  men  who  moved 
back  the  dark  curtain  of  Romish  usurpations,  supersti- 
tions, and  errors,  and  reinstated  the  primitive  church  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  its  true  order  and  authority,  in  doc- 
trine, organization,  discipline,  theory,  and  fact. 

But  the  history  of  the  Reformation  itself  shows  that 
neither  of  the  above-named  sects  constitutes  the  true 
church  of  God.  In  proof  of  this  we  have  but  to  show 
that  it  was  thought  needful  and  wise  that  a  second  step 
be  taken  at  reform. 


CIIAI'TKi;    IX. 


AND    TIIK     MKTII..IMM     (  m  i:cn.  -  -  FKIKMVS    OR 
.H.  —  COM;  i  CAMPBELL- 

1TW.—  Tm        I'oiiciM    or     H«MH      K..M\\     CAIIK.I.K  s      LOT 

tM\\i-    PACIFIC    \\:n\     l.vu     KoitiUDti    I'K.  .-<  1:1  r  i  ION.  — 

I     (Ml)    1Y.R8KCUTIO  MlU» 


IN    L7J  '••nnaliuii  lu-i::iii   under  the  auspices  of 

Mi.  .lulm  \\  -ithin  (lie  ahvadv  n-foruuMl  Church 

iii«l  :   an.l    ;!'  the    Mj.i-ropal   (  'hurch  of  England 

rhurch  of  JeeOfl  <  'hri-t,  and  accepted  with  him, 

then    Mi-.   \\  ,-1,  \    inu-t    have   heen  a   heretic,  an  intro- 

jhl.      I  Jut  the  world 

docs  not  \i<-\\  him  a-  >u<  h  ;  hut  that  his  efl'orts  were 
Herculean  blows  struck  at  the  absurdities  of  the 
English  Church  and  other  existing  sects,  and  that  he 
more  nearly  reflected  the  truth  and  beauty  of  the 
primitive  faith  than  had  his  predecessors  at  reform. 
The  adulations  of  the  \\orld  were,  and  are,  heaped 
i  Mr.  We-ley  a->  having  turned  to  a  brighter  page 
in  the  line  of  )  ded  a  hotter  faith  than 

hi>  progenitor^  in  church  htiildinir. 

lint    who   irafl  this   Mr.  John  Wesley,  and  by  what 

authority    did    he   Mart    a   new   church,  a   new  order  of 

thiu.Lr>  '•      He  Was  a  member  of  the  Kpisco|>al  Church  of 

land  —  lived  and   died   in    that   church.     lie    lived 

in  an  already  reformed  church. 

ko  Luther,  Calvin,  Knox,  Menno  Simon,  Henry 


158  PRESIDENCY    AND    PPvIESTHOOD. 

the  Eighth,  and  others,  he  set  to  work,  according  to  his 
own  fancy  and  sense  of  what  was  right  and  proper,  to 
effect  a  reform  within  a  reformed  church. 

After  some  years  at  church  building,  we  have  the 
following,  written  by  his  own  hand,  Feb.  3,  1738  :- 

"I  went  to  America  to  convert  the  Indians;  but  oh,  who 
shall  convert  me!  Who  is  this  that  will  deliver  me  from  this 
evil  heart  of  unbelief?" 

Again :  — 

"It  is  over  two  years  since  I  left  my  own  country  to  teach 
the  Georgian  India'ns  the  nature  of  Christianity;  but  what  have 
I  learned  myself  in  the  mean  time?  Why  (what  I  least  of  all 
suspected),  that  I,  who  went  to  America  to  convert  others,  was 
never  converted  myself.  I  am  not  mad  though  I  thus  speak, 
but  I  speak  the  words  of  truth  and  soberness." 

In  his  Journal,  page  56,  he  says  :  — 

"  This,  then,  I  have  learned  in  the  ends  of  the  earth:  that  I 
am  fallen  short  of  the  glory  of  God;  that  my  whole  heart  is 
altogether  corrupt  and  abominable,  consequently  my  whole  life 
(seeing  that  an  evil  tree  cannot  bring  forth  good  fruit);  that 
alienated  from  the  life  of  God  as  I  am,  I  am  a  child  of  wrath, 
an  heir  of  hell."  —  KICHAUD  WATSON'S  History  of  John 
Wesley,  pages  46  and  56. 

Nine  years  before  the  above  was  written  there  was 
founded  at  Oxford,  England,  by  this  man  who  an- 
nounced himself  an  "evil  tree,"  an  "unconverted 
man,"  an  "heir  of  hell,"  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  England,  and  thence  of  America. 

In  proof,  see  the  following  :  — 

"  On  Monday,  May  1,  our  little  society  began  in  London. 
But  it  may  be  observed,  the  first  rise  of  Methodism,  so  called. 


PRKMM.\<  V    AND    n;H>llh)01).  159 

was   in    N«>\.'  h.n    four    of    us    met  together  at  j 

—  Metitod 

AV  ride  at    i  eformat  i(Hi   and  church  building! 

:    nine  year-    of  hard    labor    and    experience,  the 

author  am;ouner>  him-elf  "unconverted,"  an  "evil  tree," 

hild  of  wrath,"  :uid  :m  "heir  of  hell." 
I'll  •   bia>ed   pietmv.      It  was  written   with   his 

own  hand.     I-  tin-  tin-  man  that  has  established  the  true 
on  this  >ide  of  tlie  Lrreat  wilderness  of 
iia-    int.-:  \  ,  ;i,  ,1     between     us    and    the 
<  'oininon—  «•;  ^    \o.       Did   he    claim 

that    (J«»d   had   rommi--ioncd  him  to  set  up   his  church, 
or  i  ir  him  :  — 


tln-ir  rh.-iinpinii  (Mr.  Na>h)  appeared,  coming  close 
,  ask«-«l  1   <li<l  these  tilings,  I  replied, 

4  Ily  tl»e  atitli-  .-us  (  hrist,  conveyed  to  me  by  the  (now) 

.\h«  n  //<  I't'itl  liis  hands  upon  me  <i,i<l 

•aid,  •  >spel."  '  "  —  RICHARD  / 

\\  \i-  ,-yt 


.  then,  in  the  town  of  Bath,  in  the  year  1739, 
in  reply  to  an  iixjuiry  l>y  .Mr.  Na-li,  Mr.  \Vesleystates 
t-mphatieally  that  the  authority  which  he  received  to 

.eh  the  gospel  (and  of  course  found  churches)  "  was 
conveyed  to  me  !»y  tln^  (now)  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury." It'  the  ArehhNiop  had  been  interrogated  as  to 

.uthority,  lie  would  have  answered  that  he  received 

it    din-etly,   or    indireetly,   from    the    pope    of    Rome. 

the  p,>p,.  li.-ru  a-ked  n^ardin^  his,  ho  would  have 

mad-  .   "It   came  down  to  me  through  the  line 

of  the  popes,  all  the  way  from  the  great  Peter."     Hav- 


160  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

ing,  according  to   Protestant  claim,  been  transmitted 
through    darkness,    avarice,   tyranny,    war,    vice,   and 
bloodshed,  and,  too,  while  the  Baptists  had  the  king- 
dom of  God  "shut  up  in  their  bosoms,"  and  the  great 
'world  could    not    find    them    anywhere.     No    wonder 
there  was  an  inscription  seen,  "Mystery,  Babylon  I" 
Again  :  — 

"  <  It  indeed  has  been  proposed,'  says  Mr.  Wesley,  <  to  desire 
an  English  bishop  to  ordain  part  of  our  preachers  for  America. 
But  to  this  I  object.  I  desired  the  bishop  of  London  to  ordain  ., 
only  one;  but  I  could  not  prevail  on  him.  If  they  ordain  now, 
they  will  expect  to  govern.'  "  — RICHAIID  WATSON'S  History, 
page  245. 

Fear  of  losing  power  and  influence  in  governing  was 
the  ground  of  objection  urged  against  securing  an 
English  bishop  to  aid  in  the  ordinations  ;  thus  showing 
that  the  recognized  authority  for  church  building  by 
Mr.  Wesley  came  from  Rome,  through  the  bishop  of 
London  or  the  English  Church. 

But  if  the  bishop  of  London  had  ordained  some  of 
Mr.  Wesley's  ministry,  what  of  it?  They, 'too,  doubt 
their  own  right  and  authority -to  ordain,  and  are  all 
perplexed  about  the  situation.  See  the  following,  de- 
livered at  Washington  City,  D.  C.,  Sept.  30.,  1883  :- 

"  Monsignor  Capel,  the  celebrated  English  prelate,  lectured 
at  the  National  Theatre,  this  evening,  on  the  '  Present  Aspect 
of  Religious  Belief  in  England.'  So  great  was  the  desire  to 
hear  him  that  people  were  turned  away  from  the  doors.  Sena- 
tor Jones,  of  Florida,  introduced  the  lecturer,  and  in  the  audi- 
ence were  many  people  whose  names  are  familiar  to  the  nation. 
After  tracing  in  detail  the  history  of  religious  beliefs  in  England, 
from  the  period  of  the  Reformation,  — which  he  regarded  as  a 


DEN  ^     AND    1  ::i  i>THOOD.  161 

sham  imposed  by  rul«  movement  of  the  people,  down 

to  the  present  time,—  h.  d«-crihed  the  attitude  of  the  different 
religious  beliefs  as  they  were  arrayed  in  Kngland  to-day. 

u  The  Roman  Catholic  (  'hmvh,  while  embracing  as  yet  but  a 

part  of  tin-  Kngl^h  ;  n  at  last  attained  a  position 

\\  h.  re  it  is  respect*  d,  an-1  n.>  Inn-  to  conceal   itself. 

drift  of  dogma  and   belief   in  the  Kstabhshed  Church  is 

toward  llmne.     The  c  i  of  the    li'oman   Catholic  ritual 

are  gradually  brromin-  en-rafted  upon  the  ritual  of  the  Knglish 

(  hurch,  by  whose  followers  thv  ,1  with  even  more 

.-inn  than  in  the  true  Chnn-li  of  IJninr.     Kpiscopal  dorgy- 

are  beginning  to  tlmiht  tin-  divinity  of  their  ordinations, 

and  seek  to  bo  admit trd  t«»  th«-  Unman  Catholic  Church,  where 

they  are   re  baptized,  n-cnntirmed,  and   ordained   anew  by  the 

representatives  of  the  pope. 

44  The  lecturer  made  the  astounding  statement  that  during  a 

period  of  a  few  month*  thn-e  hundred  clergymen  of  the  (  hmvh 

ngland  had  become  ninni..  r«  of  tin-  Kmnan  Catholic  ( 'hurch. 

i  L'mne  i^  going  on  among  the  upper  ten; 

thousands  who  have  hitherto  1  «.f  the  lack  of  a 

c«»minin-;in_r  Of  clauses  of  society,  a-  m  this  country,  inaccessi- 
ble to   Ihe  humbler  elements  which  compose  the   Church   of 
hich  are  in  the  main  hewers  of  wood  and  carriers  o? 
water,  and  gradually  the  extremes  of  social  distinctions  are 
•sight  tn-riher  imdi-r  the  banner  of  Home.     Were  the 
grasp  of  the  state  to  be  taken  nil   the    Established  Church  ^ 
WOUl-.  e  of  attacks  from  without, 

but  because  of  efforts  from  within.    Science  is  advancing  i's 
i*,  and  gradually,  though  surely,  many  of  the  people  are 
drifting  toward   re-volution,  ratinnali-m,  agnosticism,  and  the 
various  forms  of  iniidelity.    S-M.U  then-  will  be  but  two  religious 
lei    in    Kngland;    on   the   one   hand    the    IJoman   Catholic 
Church,   and    on    th-    nth«-r   rationalism  and  agnosticism."  — 
ClevtUind  Herald  Special. 

Mr.   \\  -nlaiiMMl   prisons  liiinsclf,   :is    iMini-stcrs 

hi>     dimvh.       While    cun>i«li'rintir    Anu'riran    inis- 
sions  — 


162  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"  He  solemnly  set  apart,  by  the  imposition  of  his  hands  and 
prayer,  one  of  them,  viz.,  Sir  Thomas  Coke,  doctor  of  law,  late 
of  Jesus  College,  in  the  University  of  Oxford,  and  a  presbyter 
of  the  Church  of  England,  for  the  Episcopal  office,  and  having 
delivered  to  him  letters  of  Episcopal  orders,  commissioned  and 
directed  him  to  set  apart  Francis  Asbury,  then  general  assistant 
of  the  Methodist  Society  in  America,  for  the  same  Episcopal 
office,  he,  Francis  Asbury,  being  first  ordained  deacon  and 
elder."  —  Methodist  Discipline,  published  by  Wright  & 
Swornsstadt. 

"  Dr.  Coke  was  [at  the  time  of  his  ordination  by  Mr.  Wesley] 
a  presbyter  of  the  Church  of  England,  having  received  his 
ordination  from  the  bishop  of  London.  Mr.  Wesley  was  also 
a  presbyter  of  the  same  church.  They  were  clothed  with  equal 
powers.  The  same  kind  of  priesthood. 

"  Wesley  desired  to  send  some  preachers  to  America. 
Richard  Whatcoat  and  Thomas  Yosey  offered  themselves  as 
missionaries  for  that  purpose  and  were  accepted.  At  Bristol, 
July  27, 1784,  Mr.  Wesley  ordained  them  presbyters  for  America. 
He  afterwards  ordained  Dr.  Coke  superintendent  or  bishop." 
—  DANIEL  RUPP'S  History  of  Religious  Denominations  in  the 
United  States,  page  279. 

After  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Coke  and  party  in  America, 
at  a  conference  convened  at  Baltimore,  Dec.  25,  1784, 
"Dr.  Coke,  assisted  by  several  elders,  set  him  [Mr. 
Francis  Asbury]  apart,  by  the  imposition  of  hands, 
as  bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church." 

The  following  is  the  certificate  of  his  ordination  :  — 

"Know  all  men  by  these  presents,  that  I,  Thomas  Coke, 
doctor  of  civil  law,  late  of  Jesus  College,  in  the  University  of 
Oxford,  presbytery  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  superintend- 
ent of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  America,  ...  by  the 
imposition  of  my  hands  and  prayer  (being  assisted  by  two 
ordained  elders)  did,  on  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  the  month 
(December),  set  apart  Francis  Asbury  to  the  office  of  a  deacon 


nomunroi    AHD  IMMKSTHOOD.  163 

in  the  aforesaid  Method  opal  church.     And  also  oti  the 

twenty-sixth  day  of  the  .said  mouth  did,  by  the  imposition  of 

my  hands  and  pn  .ug  assisted  by  the  said  ciders),  set 

tin  said  l'ian«  i-  A  -t»ury  for  the  office  of  elder  in  the  said 

Method  i-t  F.pi-icopal  (  him  h,  and  on  tins  the  twenty-seventh 

••f  tin-  said  mouth,  briuir  the  day  of  the  date  thereof,  ha\<  , 

.-  imposition  of  my  hands  and  prayer  (lu-iu^  assisted  by 

-),  srt  apart    i  \-hury  for  t  lie  olliee  of  superin- 

t«  ii.l,  ut  in  the  -li-l  M    tho.liM    Kpiscopal  Church.  .  .   .   lu  te«ti- 

IMHH  ;to  M-t    my  hand  and  Heal   this   twcnty- 

.  17-1."       i  HOMAS  COKE,  Life  and 
Times  of  Francis  Asbury,  pages  147  and  148. 


Allou  iiiLr  tlii-  rrrtiiiratr  t«>  xprak  tor  itself,  —  and  the 
Doctor  had  quito  a  tinu;  of  it  in  roiitrrring  authority 
upon  Mr.  A»lmry  and  raising  him  to  the  office  of 
hi.  |,  op,  —  the  onlinations  wcrr  rr^ular  and  formal. 
But  the  important  <jue>tion  to  K>  considcMvd  is,  Whence 
rredf  The  "office  of  superintend- 
ent," lit  iv,  U  the  same  M  that  of  bishop.  So  that 
after  this  traii-ai-ti«)ii  it  i-  I'.Mmp  A-l  ury.  Mr.  Asbury 
thru  took  tho  lead  in  ordaining  p<*rsotis  to  offices  in  the 
al  Church  in  America.  Thus  the 
xirps  in  th<«  li,.r  of  transmitted  Authority,  so  far  as 
relates  to  tin-  Methodist  Church  Ln  England  and 
i,  are  plain  and  e:i>ily  seen;  viz.,  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  America  received  its  apos- 
totic  anihoriiy  from  Mr.  Ashury  ;  Mr.  Aslmry  from 
Dr.  Coke;  I>V.  Coke  from  Mr.  Wesley;  Mr.  Wesley 
from  tin-  Arrhhishop  of  Canterbury;  and  the  Arch- 
bi-ln.p  of  Canterbury  from  the  pope  of  Koine,  whom 
the  whole  IV..i.-tant  world  denounces  **  the  "  man  of 
MM  "  and  w  son  of  perdition." 


164  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

No  wonder,  then,  that  the  Methodist  Church,  in  her 
organization  and  doctrine,  does  not  conform  to  the 
apostolic  pattern  !  Having  been  founded  in  the  wisdom 
of  men  and  authorized  by  Episcopal  England  and  Cath- 
olic Rome,  she  could  rise  no  higher  than  the  source 
whence  she  received  her  authority  and  right. 

The  first  Methodist  conference  was  held  in  1744. 
He  (Mr.  Wesley)  and  all  of  his  ministers  adhered  to 
the  Church  of  England.  He  would  not  allow  his  min- 
isters to  baptize  or  administer  the  sacrament.  (MARSH, 
page  422.) 

"Until  the  close  of  the  Kevolutionary  War,  the  system  of 
Methodism  was  according  to  the  plan  of  Wesley.  The  preach- 
ers were  not  empowered  to  administer  ordinances,  and  the  peo- 
ple were  obliged  to  go  to  other  churches.  As  the  United  States 
had  now  become  independent  of  Great  Britain,  Wesley  deter- 
mined to  make  the  American  churches  independent,  and  sent 
Dr.  Coke,  commissioned  as  a  superintendent  or  bishop,  to  con- 
stitute the  American  churches  independent;  to  raise  Mr.  Asbury 
to  the  same  office,  and  to  ordain  pretichers  and  elders.  He 
arrived  in  1784,  and  on  the  25th  of  December  constituted  Mr. 
Asbury  to  the  office  of  bishop."  —  MARSH,  page  423. 

She  made  no  claims  to  the  restoration  of  the  priest- 
hood from  heaven,  or  a  divine  revelation  authorizing 
her  to  act,  but  repudiated  the  necessity  for  either,  and 
announced  to  the  world,  that  "We  are  but  a  band  of 
brethren  having  a  form  (not  the  form)  of  godliness, 
and  seeking  the  power." 

THE    FRIENDS    OR   QUAKERS. 

This  sect  "had  its  origin  with  a  man  that  was  brought 
up  with  the  Established  Church  (Church  of  England), 


l'i:l>Il.i:\(  V    AND    I'UIESTHOOD.  165 

and  he  honest  and  respectable   parents.     "In 

164G,  ho  entirely  forsook  the  National  Church."  "  By 
reason  of  the  Convulsions  which  they  labored  under 
when  they  drliveivd  their  diM-onr>es,  they  were  called 

ten.  Mr.  George  Fox,  the  prime  mover  in  the 
organi/atioii.  \\andrr.-d  about,  oft«-n  in  retired  places, 
with  mils  a  Iliblr  for  a  companion,  encouraging  people 
to  \\ait  patiently  to  feel  the  power  to  stir  in  their 
hearts."  He  claimed  divine  direetions,  and  soon  great 
numbers  followed  him.* 

It    i-    r\hli-nt    that    nil    the    authority    iriven    to   -this 
society  \\  :i-  received  from  the  Catholic  Church  through 

of  the  Chureh  of  KiiLrland.  A^  they  rejected  the 
onlinan.  he  gospel,  it  is  evident  that  they  were 

not  divinrly  authori/rd  as  a  church,  for  John  say-: 
"  \Vho>ocvrr  trangresseth  and  abideth  not  in  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ,  hath  not  God."  (2  John  ix.) 

Thrir  >|>ii  it  inanifr-tations,  also,  as  seen  in  the  quak- 

i  contortion,  jerking,  and  convulsing  of  the  body, 

bear  no  rcscml»Ianrr  to  the  peaceful  promptings  of  the 

it  that  moved  the  ancient  saints  to  prophesy,  spe;ik 
in  tonune-,  M-e  \  ,  etc.,  as  shown  forth  in  the  New 

Testament,  hence  should  be  rejected. 

All  of  tha  minor  sects  that  have  arisen  grew  out  of  or 
ti«  in  among  these  older  on»--,  and  can  boast  of  no  priest- 

1 dorauthority  not  found  in  them,  namely,  the  Moravi- 

.  Shakers,  Tnitrd  Brethren,  Adventists,  Christadel- 
phian<,  rnivrr-ali-t-,  Mennonites,  followers  of  Emman- 
uel Swe<l(-)i  !<•.,  hrnce  all,  alike,  destitute  of 

thood  and  authority  except  what  came  from  Romo. 

•Fox's  Book  of  Marty  re,  pages  354  and  356. 


166  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

THE    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

We  come  now  to  consider,  if  possible,  a  more  daring 
set  of  claimants  of  ecclesiastical  powers  than  any  yet 
mentioned.  That  is  the  Congregationalists,  or  Inde- 
pendents ;  those  holding  the  view  that  individual  con- 
gregations have  the  authority  and  right  to  bestow  upon 
its  members,  at  will,  the  sacred  offices.  This  did 
neither  Jesus  nor  the  apostles. 

That  there  was  divine  authority  placed  in  the  church 
at  Jerusalem,  in  order  that  the  administration  of  its  laws 
might  be  legal,  is  clear  from  the  New  Testament.  That 
this  authority  was  transmissible,  so  long  as  men  should 
remain  righteous,  and  be  found  worthy  to  be  stewards 
of  such  a  heavenly  treasure,  has  been  proven.  It  has 
also  been  shown  that  this  authority  was  taken  from  men, 
because  of  their  wickedness,  and  a  long  night  of  dark- 
ness ensued ;  that  the  pompous  claims  of  the  pope,  as 
having  succeeded  to  the  keys  of  St.  Peter  by  succes- 
sion, is  an  assumption,  he  being  as  destitute  of  the 
power  of  the  priesthood  as  the  king  of  Siarn ;  and  per 
consequence,  all  who  claim  to  have  received  divine 
power  through  him  are  alike  destitute  of  authority, 
based  upon  the  hypothesis,  nothing  from  nothing  and 
nothing  remains. 

The  present  age  of  enlightenment  has  awakened  an 
investigation  of  popish  claims  to  divine  authority,  and 
the  world  is  being  convinced  that  he  succeeded  to  the 
authority  of  the  apostles  only  in  name ;  that,  in  reality, 
he  has  no  more  divine  power  than  Mahomet ;  and  as  a 
necessity,  that  none  who  claim  it  through  him  have  any. 


ri;i>ii>i  v  Y   AND   ri:ii:-nioOD.  107 

A   nir.-it    many    becoming  thus  convinced   that  there 

iia-  been  no  authority  handed  down  from  the  apostles, 

on  ;i  of  \\  ickrdne»  and  apo>ta>y,  and  that  God 

;  heaven  (  for  all  believe  that  he  does 

d  him>elt  now  as  in  former  times),  the  conclu- 

ii  arrived   ;it    t!  man   has  a  riirht  to 

officiate  in  the  name  ol   (ind  \\ho   feels  disposed  so  to 

and  that  any  ronirn-iration  has  the  authority  within 

it-eli    to  «.vdaiii  and  >i-nd  men  to   jueaeh  the  gospel  as 

I  call   from  (iod,  or  the 
1.     That  a  direct  call  from 

-thood  Were  essential 

m  primitise  tiim--,  lln-y  may  admit,  Imt  that  such  a 
mur.M'  i-  not  D606Mtr]  n«-\\,  allhoii-jh  >tridly  lawful 
anciently. 

1  not\\  ilh-tandm-j  thi-  ha-ty  c«.nclu-5on,  in  all  fair- 
ness, to  IM-UIIT  unalile  to  find  a  single  prece- 
dent, in  all  tin-  P»iMe,  f. -r  -ueh  a  course.  The  great 
..•allied  lo  n-  l'\  the  ancient  apostles  and 
-amt-,  \\hieh  r«  knowledired  order,  does 
nnt  fiiMii-li  ns  \\-iili  a  >iiiLrle  text  m  favor  of  the  Con- 

True,  in  the    I»«M.k   . .t'  Judges,  seventeenth   chapter, 

\\c   n- ad   that  "There   wafl    a   man   of   mount   Ephraim, 

whose    name    was    Micah.      And    he    said    unto    his 

ther,   Ilic    el(\en  hundred    shekels    of   silver   that 

were  about  which  thou  cursedst,  and 

il>o  in  ii  is  behold,  the  silver  is  with 

me;   I  t  his  man,  Micah,  restored  the  silver, 

and  hi-   inolher  had  made  of  them  two  images,  " and 

n  the  hou-e  of  Micah.      And  the  man  Mivah 


168  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

had  a  house  of  gods,  and  made  an  ephod,  and  a  tera- 
phim,  and  consecrated  one  of  his  sons,  who  became  his 
priest.  .  .  .  And  Micah  consecrated  the  Levite ;  and 
the  young  man  became  his  priest,  and  was  in  the  house 
of  Micah." 

Here,  indeed,  is  an  instance  of  a  Congregational- 
made  priest,  and  the  reason  is  obvious  from  the  sixth 
verse,  "Every  man  did  that  which  was  right  in  his  own 
eyes." 

This  thief,  Micah,  going  according  to  that  which  was 
"right  in  his  own  eyes"  (as  do  the  Congregationalists 
or  Independents) ,  consecrated  two  men  to  offer  up  in- 
cense to  idol  gods.  For  the  credit  of  Congregational- 
ists themselves,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will  not 
refer  to  Micah  as  a  righteous  precedent  to  support  their 
claim. 

Again,  Korah  and  Dathan  seemed  to  have  imbibed 
the  Congregational  scheme,'  holding  that  the  power  was 
in  a  congregation  to  honor  with  a  commission  whomso- 
ever they  pleased,  irrespective  of  God's  called  and  or- 
dained. 

"  And  they  gathered  themselves  together  against  Moses  and 
against  Aaron,  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  take  too  much  upon  you, 
seeing  all  the  congregation  are  holy,  every  one  of  them,  and  the 
Lord  is  among  them :  wherefore  then  lift  ye  up  yourselves  above 
the  congregation  of  the  Lord?  "—-Num.  xvi.  3. 

It  is  plain  from  this  that  Korah  and  Dathan,  through 
jealousy,  envy,  and  blind  ambition,  thought  to  array  the 
camp  of  Israel  against  Moses  and  Aaron,  by  flattering 
them  with  the  belief  that  the  right  to  appoint  a  leader, 
and  empower  him  to  treat  with  God,  was  vested  in  the 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  1G9 

congregation.     Said  they,  w  Wherefore  then  lift  ye  up 
nbovethe  eon^n-eii-ation  r"  having  reference 

to  the  hii'h  pnvNt-r  and  honors  eonfenvd  upon  those  men 
l>\  the  Almighty,  to  empower  them  to  instruet  and  lead 
I  -ia«-l.  In  a  word,  they  thought  to  ignore  God's  plan 
and  author:!  \  ,  and  .-et  up  a  man-made  priesthood,  /•< 

•hune  that   is  so  flaunt- 
j    held  to  liy  the  modrrn  Independents. 
Go  and  l.-arn  the  late  of  Korah  and  I>athan,  and   say 
DOre  that   «  ODgregatiODfl  ran  a->unu'  the  power  o!'  the 
(Bees  of  the  |)i-ie>tliood  with  impunity,  and  thus 
endow  themselves  with  power. 

Another  it  •  -f  man-in-tituted  authority  is  ^iven 

in  1   Kinir>  xiii.  33  :  — 

44  Afn  r  thi«i  thing  Jeroboam  returned  not  from  hi-  «  \  i!  way, 
but  made  again  of  the  lowest  <>f  tli«-  proph-,  j.i  i.  -i-  <»r  ii,,-  lu-h 
plaoes;  vhoaoerer  ironkUhc  eooaecraied  him.  and  in- 
one  of  the  priests  of  the  hL'h  plar. 


lint  a  Millieient  eomment  upon  this  is  fnrni>lied  in  the 
next  \erse  :  — 

ramc  sin  unto  (he  house  of  Jeroboam, 

to  rut  it  nlT.  and  v  it  from  the  face  of  the  earth." 

Durinir  the  continuaiK  «  of  the  long  era  of  apostasy 
that  en-lied  after  the  death  of  the  apostles,  there  has 
none,  more  clearly  fulfilled  the  prophecy  of  St.  Paul 
(  -i  Tim.  IT,  :\).  than  tho-e  who  hold  the  Congregational 
>«  heme.  He  -aid  :  — 

1        ;        time  will  come  whm  they  will  not  endure  sound 
11  lu^ts  shall  they  heap  to  themselves 
teachers,  having  itching  eai 


170  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

This  prophecy  refers  to  a  time  when  men  would  arro- 
gate to  themselves  (Micah-like)  the  power  to  make 
ministers  (teachers),  and  disdaining  the  idea  of  acced- 
ing to  transmitted  power,  or  divine  appointment,  would 
assume  (Korah  and  Dathan  like)  that  congregations  have 
the  power  to  authorize  and  set  apart  teachers  at  will ; 
hence,  would  multiply  teacher  after  teacher,  until  they 
are  to  w  heap  to  themselves  teachers  " ;  the  prerequi- 
sites to  a  proper  commission  consisting  of  fluent  speech 
and  the  popular  vote  of  an  enthusiastic  assembly. 

This  mode  has  become  so  popular,  although  destitute 
of  sacred  sanction,  that  men  do  not  scruple  to  avow  it 
to  be  God's  only  appointed  way  of  choosing. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  they  exist  in  heaps  !  And  like 
Micah's  priests,  they  are  hired,  "Ten  shekels  of  silver 
by  the  year,  and  a  suit  of  apparel  and  their  victuals," — 
bread  and  butter.  By  and  by,  when  Micah's  priest 
heard  of  higher  wages  and  a  more  desirable  living  else- 
where, he  was  called  away  from  Micah  ;  called  into  an- 
other vineyard.  (Judges  xviii.) 

There  is  such  a  perfect  likeness  in  the  manner  of 
calling  Micah's  priest  and  these  modern  heaped -up 
teachers,  that  one  is  at  a  loss  to  know  which  is  most 
likely  to  meet  with  divine  approval,  so  far  as  the  call 
and  ordination  is  concerned. 

"  Congregationalism,  a  designation  assumed  of  late  years  by 
the  religious  denomination  formerly  known  as  Independents. 
.  .  .  The  negative  Independent  implied  chiefly  a  renunciation 
of  the  authority  of  the  pope,  prelate,  presbytery,  prince,  or 
Parliament,  and  thus  brought  into  prominence  the  antagonistic 
positions  of  the  churches  so  named  towards  National,  Episco- 


rUMDBTOl    AND   n;n>TiioOD.  171 

pal,  and  Presbyterian  rhurrhrs.      Tin-  word  Congregational' 
has  bean  now  almost  universally  substituted  for  it,  to  in<)ir;it< 
more  clearly  tbe  brotherhood  and  fellowship  maintained  in 
ir  separate  communities." 

The  ministers  of  the  Congregationali>ts  or  Indepen- 
dents are  called  as  follows  :  — 

t4  And  the  call  to  his  office  comes  through  the  people;  the 
divine  choice  is  expressed  through  the  men,  the  divine  word 
enlightens,  and  tin-  divim-  Spirit  guides.  Their  theology  has 
been  predominantly  Calvinistic,  though  of  the  more  moderate 
type."  —  £ncycJopcedia  Urifamii'  <  Vol.  VI.,  page  208;  Vol. 
VII.,  page  788. 

^Jj^St  ^»gn*^*^fll  ^niriih  ofjho  "English  Ref- 
ormation" wa>  built  >>y  Kichurd  Fitz,  in  the  Bridewell 
of  11  London.  John  Uol>in-on  was  a  minister 

doctrine-.  04  be  formally  withdrew  from  the 

national   rlimvh   and    identified   himself  with   the    Pnri^ 
He  was  one  of  the  earliest  workers  among  the 


44  Puritans,  a  name  given  to  a  large  party  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Eli/al>tth,  who  complained   that  the   'Reformation  in 
England  was  left  in  an  imperfect  state,  many  abuses,  both 
in  worship  and  discipline,  being  still  retained.     The  name 
itan'  was  derived  from  il.  nt    assertion  of  those 

who  composed  the  party,  that  the  Church  of  England  was  cor- 
rupted with  the  remains  of  popery." 

The  greater  number  of  the  Puritans,  however,  were  either 
Presbyterians,  or  still  retained  their  connection  with  the 
Chiirrh  of  England."  —  Biblical,  Theological,  and  Ecclesiastical 
Cyclopedia,  pages  804,  806. 

Puritans  of  Plymouth  were  most  all  ordained  minis- 
ten  in  the  Church  of  England.* 

•Appendix  F. 


172  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 


THE    DISCIPLE    CHURCH. 

But  the  most  noisy  and  blustering  class  and  greatest 
sticklers  for  the  congregational  scheme,  that  the  writer 
has  personally  had  to  do  with,  is  the  sect  styling 
themselves,  "Disciples,"  "Reformers,"  or  "Christian 
Church,"  better  known  as  Campbellites. 

Whatever  their  assumed  denominational  name,  it  is  a 
fact,  beyond  question,  that  Bishop  Campbell  was  the 
originator  and  founder  of  that  system  of  faith  and  wor- 
ship. In  evidence  of  this,  I  cite  the  testimony  of  a 
prominent  minister  and  writer  of  that  church,  the 
Rev.  W.  T.  Moore,  pastor  of  the  Christian  Church,  cor- 
ner of  Eighth  and  Walnut  Streets,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

In  a  sermon  delivered  by  him  on  Radicalism  and 
Conservatism,  which  was  published  in  pamphlet  form  at 
the  earnest  request  of  his  audience,  after  speaking  in 
glowing  terms  of  several  eminent  men,  such  as  Wesley, 
Melancthon,  Luther,  Washington,  Gray,  and  others,  he 
says  of  Mr.  Campbell :  — 

44  Alexander  Campbell  is  a  fine  example  among  religious 
reformers.  ...  I  sincerely  believe  that  history  will  yet  record 
him  as  one  of  the  greatest  men  that  ever  lived.  .  .  .  His  reli- 
gious system  united  theory  and  practice.  .  .  .  His  success  as  a 
discoverer  of  the  truth  was  very  great,  but  his  power  to  organize 
and  make  practical  what  was  already  known  appeared  equally 
prominent.  But  if  any  should  be  sceptical  as  to  the  extent  of 
his  power,  let  such  a  person  remember  that  he  began  his  refor- 
mation with  every  religious  parly  in  Christendom  arrayed  against 
him;  that  he  fought  the  battles  of  truth  singly  and  alone,  and 
against  the  combined  armies  of  sectarianism,  headed  by  the  pope 
of  Rome,  and  cheered  on  by  all  the  hosts  of  Protestantism;  and 
that  in  the  short  space  of  forty  years  the  little  band  of  disciples 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  173 

which  he  organized,  upon  the  '  Bible  and  Bible  alone/  has  grown 
to  be  ODO  of  the  most  powerful  religious  bodies  in  all  the  land. 
so  far  as  human  instrumentality  was  concerned,  it  can- 
not be  DKvir.i*  that  Campbell  was  the  man  who  CONCEIVED, 
organized,  and  made  SUCCESSFUL  the  present  reformation." 

What  a  conffvMtm  !  Wonderful,  indeed  !  So  far  as 
"human  in>trnmrnt:ility  was  conrrrnnl,"  Luther  con- 
.1  :m,l  nri::mi/rd  hi>  n-!',  ,rmat  ion,  as  did  Calvin, 
Ir\iiiLr,  M"i:i\iu^  Swedenborj;,  and  others;  all,  like 
Mr.  GMDptx'll,  •  d  ami  or  l»v  ///////<///  wis- 

dom the  respective  de-nominations  which  now  hear  their 
names.  Why  the  element  put  into  Mr.  Campbeirs 
organization  refuse  to  be  called  by  the  name  of  the  n.an 
who  "concenr.l."  "or^ani/ed,"  and  "made  successful" 
thrir  jMTuliar  rhmvli  is,  to  say  the  least,  strange. 

I'.., i  to  tin-  lii-iory  of  thr  nriranization  itself.  I 
quote  from  thr  works  of  l'»:irioii  W.  Stone:  — 

"At  the  end  of  rt,  in  1^:;--',  Khler  John  T.  Johnson 

became  co-editor  of  the  Messenger  with  him;  and  so  continued 
till  Hro.  Stone  removed  to  Illinois.  Just  before  J.  T.  Johnson 
became  co-editor  of  the  Messenger,  a  union  was  effected  between 
thf  (  hri.stians,  with  Bro.  Stone  and  the  Reformers,  so  called, 
who  had  come  off  from  the  Itaptists  in  Kentucky,  —  who  had 
come  off  through  the  labors  of  A.  (  arnpbell  and  those  with  him. 
v  accepted  the  same  foundation,  and  could  not  do  otherwise 
than  unite  together  when  they  came  to  understand  each  other. 
Ami  to  cement  and  make  permanent  this  union,  two  distin- 
guished elders  were  chosen  to  ride  through  the  churches  and 
labor  together,  — John  Smith,  formerly  a  Baptist,  and  John 
Rogers,  of  the  Christian  body." 

From  the  above  is  shown  that  those  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Mr.  Campbell  were  called  Reformers,  and 


174  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

those  under  B.  W.  Stone,  Christians;  that  prior  to 
their  union  Mr.  Campbell's  party  had  broken  off  from 
the  Baptists,  and  Mr.  Stone's  from  the  Presbyterians, 
for  whom  he  had  preached  for  years.  After  their 
union,  a  man  from  the  Baptist  division  and  one  from 
the  Presbyterian  side  were  chosen  to  watch  over  the 
flock.  We  ask,  now,  by  what  authority  did  this  Bap- 
tist and  Presbyterian  union  minister?  And  are  an- 
swered, "By  the  authority  they  had  received  from 
their  respective  churches,  who  had  received  it  in  a 
direct  line  from  the  pope  of  Kome."  Hence  we  are 
forced  to  the  conclusion,  sad  as  it  may  appear,  that  in 
this  joint  union  there  was  constituted,  by  the  authority 
(if  by  any  at  all)  of  the  old  mother  church,  one  of 
her  great-grand-daughters. 

After  a  time  the  leaders,  in  order  to  render  them- 
selves more  independent  still,  ignored  the  claim  of 
transmitted  power ;  and  claiming  none  direct  from 
God,  they  were  left  free  and  unfettered,  to  DO  AS  THEY 
PLEASED.  Hear  Mr.  Stone  :  — 

"  Some  time  after  the  new  organization  had  been  inaugurated, 
he  became  dissatisfied  with  his  infant  sprinkling;  the  brethren, 
elders,  and  teachers  came  together  on  the  subject,  for  we  had 
agreed  previously  with  each  other  to  act  in  concert  and  not  to 
adventure  anything  new  without  advice  from  one  another.  At 
this  meeting  we  took  up  the  matter  in  a  brotherly  spirit,  and 
concluded  that  every  brother  and  sister  should  act  freely  and 
according  to  their  conviction  of  right,  and  that  we  should  culti- 
vate the  long-neglected  grace  of  forbearance  towards  each 
other:  those  who  were  immersed  should  not  despise  those  who 
were  sprinkled,  and  vice  versa.  Now  the  question  arose,  who 
will  baptize  us?  The  Baptist  would  not,  unless  we  would  unite 
with  them,  and  there  were  no  elders  among  us  who  had  been 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  175 


immersed.  It  was  finally  miK-lutled  among  us,  that  if  we  had 
authority  to  preach  we  had  authority  to  hapti/e.  The  work 
thru  r,.inmriir,  d.  The  preachers  hapti/rd  one  another,  and 
crowds  came  and  were  also  hapt  i  /.<<!." 

1-Yom  tin-  iborc  i-  shown  •mfiething  <ff  the  rise  of 

the  org.-mi/ation,  said  to  be  built  upon  the  "Bible  and 
liible  alone." 

Who  authorised  it  ?     Who  endowed  it  with  authority 

to  administer  the   Lr<»-p«'l   ordinances?      Why,  the   peo- 

ple  met  together    in    Council  —  all  had  H  voice;    they 

luded   that    //'  thry   liad  authority  to  preach,  they 

had    authority    to    //</////:/•;    M>    the  work    commenced. 

1,  angels,  the   Holy  Spirit,   nor  the   Bihle 

••    any   :nl\  i<  iher   :mthori/inLr  or    sanctioning 

(heir  projiM-t.-d  >«  Ih-me.    'I'lni-,  the  great  fabric,  said  to 

l>e  Imilt  on  the       r.iUc   ami   l»il>h»  alone/'  really  rests 

upon   an    IF;   that  little  word  which  changes  the  course 

\  <T\  iliin._r,  and  apolo'/i/«-<  t'-T  everybody. 

had  not  rebelled,  he  would  have  remained 

:ni  ah-.  1  of  light.      //'  Adam  had  not  sinned,  he  would 

!i  Paradise*.      //'  Moses  had  not  died  on 

other  side,    he  might   have  gone  over  the  Jordan 

into  Canaan.      Individuals  joining  the   Disciple  Church 

will  assuredly  go  to  heaven,  IK  they  are  not  found  to 

Awards   a   warmer  department  —  caught  in 

the  \\  nuiir  net. 

The  Di-eiplrs  prufe->  to  be  built  on  the  ff  Bible  and 
IJihlo  alone.  n  Hut  who  authori/ed  Mr.  Campbell  to 
bnild  a  rhurdi  on  the  r,il>]e  alone?  Did  God  call  upon 
him  and  authori/e  him  thus  to  act?  No;  he  did  not  so 
claim.  Neither  did  lie  believe  in  transmitted  authority 


176  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

through  any  line  from  the  apostles.  Does  it  say  any- 
where in  the  Bible,  that  in  the  nineteenth  century,  Mr. 
Campbell  should  organize  the  true  church ?  Answer: 
No  ;  nothing  of  the  kind  is  said.  Does  it  say  anywhere 
in  the  Bible  that  God  would  call  Barton  W.  Stone,  Mr, 
Walter  Scott,  or  A.  Campbell  even  unto  the  ministry? 
Answer  :  Nowhere  is  it  so  written.  Did  He  call  them 
by  a  special  revelation?  Answer:  No;  they  did  not 
believe  He  could  reveal  himself  in  this  age.  Is  their 
church  said  to  be  built  on  the  "Bible  alone,"  after  the 
pattern  of  the  church  established  by  Jesus  and  the  apos- 
tles ?  Oh,  no  !  It  is  no  more  like  the  apostolic  organi- 
zation than  the  Methodist,  Baptist,  or  Presbyterian 
churches.  Did  God,  in  any  age  or  time,  since  the  world 
began,  authorize  a  man,  or  set  of  men,  to  build  his  church 
on  the  "Bible  alone  "?  Answer  :  No  ;  not  at  any  time. 

In  the  church  of  Christ  there  existed  the  Melchise- 
dec  and  Aaronic  priesthoods,  apostles,  prophets,  the 
Holy  Ghost,  visions,  dreams,  revelations,  etc.,  but 
none  of  these  are  found  in  the  Disciple  Church.  There 
was  also  a  call  to  the  ministry,  by  God  himself,  in  the 
Jerusalem  church ;  in  the  Disciple  Church  there  is 
nothing  of  this  kind.  They  even  reject  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  affirm  that  there  is  no  such  thing  now  to  be 
seen,  heard,  or  felt,  by  Christians,  only  as  appears  in 
the  written  word — the  letter.  They  repudiate  both 
transmitted  and  revealed  claims  to  authority. 

Then,  these  men  took  upon  themselves  the  great  honor 
of  founding  a  cliurch. 

What  says  the  Bible  about  such  arrogance?  It  is 
written  in  2  Samuel  that  Saul  assumed  the  authority 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  177 

to  act  in  a  sacred  office  to  which  he  never  had  been 
railed,  and  because  of  his  haughty  assumption  God 
took  the  kingdom  from  him  and  ^ave  it  to  David. 

What,  thru,  inii-t  he  the  final  end  of  those  who  do 
not  hesitate  to  affirm  that  any  person,  of  the  laity  or 
clergy,  has  an  undisputed  riirht  to  go  out,  as  each  may 
:it,  and  pr.-aeh  and  administer  in  the  gospel  ordi- 
nances, build  up  societies  and  preside  over  them,  with- 
i  call  from  (  n»d,  as  had  Aaron  ;  without  a  commission 
from  heaven, a-  J«--n-  and  the  apostle  received;  with- 
in ordination  to  the  priesthood,  as  was  required  of 
the  ancient  -aints,  that  they  miirht  he  qualified  ambas- 
sad<>  leivhy  they  became  a  ff  holy  priest- 

hood, to  oiler  up  spiritual  -aeritiees  " ?  (1  Peter  ii.  5.) 
And  the  avowed  claim  of  those  ansnmera  of  authority 
and  riirlit  to  oceupy  sacred  po-ition-  is  that  if  they 
have  authority  lu  preacfi.  they  have  authority  to  baptize. 
Who  sends  them?  Why,  they  send  themselves.  No 
hiirher  claim  U  made.  A  ro//<//'>"/,///,,//  l>y  its  vote  em- 
powers them. 

When  the  Saviour  sent  forth  his  ministry  he  in- 
formed them  that  "Whosoever  receivcth  you,  receiveth 
me;  and  he  that  .-tli  me  receiveth  him  that  sent 

me."  (Matt.  \.  m.)  The  Father  sent  the  Son,  and 
the  Son  sent  his  mini-try;  and  they  who  received  his 
mini>tr\  .  .-d  hntli  Father  and  Son,  because  Father 

and  Son  sent  them. 

The  1  )UeipIe-,  with  all  e« H i-'iv-at  ioiial ists, go  forth  and 
tell  the  peo|)le,  "  Wlmevrr  receives  us,  receiveth  those 
who  >,.|it  BE."  (^ucry:  Who  sent  them?  Answer: 
Their  (..,,  -rogations  sent  them  by  the  authority  of  a 


178  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

popular  vote.  Hence,  when  the  people  received  them, 
they  received  them  and  their  respective  congregations 
who  authorized  them  to  preach.  TherefoFe,  believers 
in  that  system  must  trust  to  man  for  life  and  salvation ; 
for  man  is  the  summum  ad  bonum  of  the  congregational 
scheme  ;  there  is  no  higher  source  giving  sanction  to  the 
system. 

Paul  says  :  — 

"  As  God  hath  distributed  to  every  man,  as  the  Lord  hath 
called  every  one,  so  let  him  walk.  And  so  ordain  I  in  all 
churches."  —  !  Cor.  vii.  17. 

But  the  Disciples  do  not  wait  for  the  Lord  to  call 
them,  but  they  send  themselves,  with  or  without  an 
ordination,  as  suits  their  fancy. 

Again  he  says  :  — 

"  Having,  then,  gifts  differing  according  to  the  grace  that  is 
given  to  us,  whether  prophecy,  let  us  prophesy  according  to 
the  proportion  of  faith;  or  ministry,  let  us  wait  on  our  minis- 
tering; or  he  that  teacheth,  on  teaching."  —  Rom.  xii.  G,  7. 

Thus,  as  God  gave  gifts  to  tf  prophesy,"  or  "  minis- 
ter," so  the  saints  were  to  exercise  in  accordance  with 
the  call  and  bestowed  gifts;  but  the  congrcgationalists 
make  ministers  of  everybody  (even  women),  object  to 
prophecy,  and  ask  no  conferred  gifts  from  God  to  en- 
able them  to  preach. 

Again  Paul  says  :  — 

"  Take  heed  therefore  unto  yourselves,  and  to  all  the  flock, 
over  the  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers."  — 
Acts  xx.  28. 

The  Disciples  ignore  the  appointment  by  the  Holy 


I  l:KSIDENCY    AND    I'IMKSTllOOl).  179 

Ghost,    and   set    themselves   over    the   flock.      They 

truly    /<//'•   //"</    itnt<,    tJ«i,i*efae&>  at   the    expense    of 

the    Hoek. 

The  Saviour  >: 

to  yr  into  all  tin-  world,  and  pn-arh  Hie  gospel  to  every 
creature."  —  Mark  xvi.  1'.. 

The  M»-cal  iplrs    g<»  t . »  < -.  •  n^r  regal  ions    and   tell 

the  JM  ,.p!«-  ih:ii   for  :i  stipulated  price  they  will   preach 
in  that   immediate  neighborhood  at  Mated   times  for  one 
year.      If  Biiilieient    is   pmrni-ed,  hacked   up   hy  an   ac- 
cept' itv,  they  \N  ill  enter  upon  their  mission  field. 
If  there    i-    H"t   a   Mitiicient  forthcoming,   like   Micah's 
I.M.k  cut  1.  T  more  congenial  <-limes  —  "take 
1  unto  themselves.9* 

I1  •  (1  with    hi-  hand-   that    the"irospel   might 

he    I  the-e   men    ha\e   >•/ /  jtriivx  for  preaching  a 

sennon,  and  if  they  do  not  ir»-t  their  price,  they  ?'•/// 
not  prewli.  The  writer  was  informed  hy  one  of  their 
nmnher,  n-.t  l<>nir  >in« •«•,  that  his  prict*  was  ten  dollars 
a  sermon,  hnt  there  were  two  other  preachers  in  his 
neighborhood  who  charged,  one  eight,  and  the  other 
!i\  e  dollars  a  sc»nnnn. 

Ollerii  i;iu    io  merit,  who  can  guess 

how  much  more  Paul  ought  to  have  had  than  Peter? 
or  James  than  Thomas?  Or,  how  much  more  it  would 
have*  taken  to  have  bought  John,  for  a  year,  than 
Matthias?  Rome  and  (ireece  perhaps  would  have  bid 
hii'h  on  Paul  and  Timothy. 

1  Ia\  ing  said  so  much  with  reference  to  the  Disciples, 
it    i.s  but  jtiM    to  remark  that  what   has  been  said  of 


180  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

them,  concerning  authority,  applies  equally  to  all  who 
hold  to  the  w  congregational  scheme." 

Thus,  in  consecutive  order,  I  have  noticed  the  Cath- 
olic Church,  with  several  of  the  most  reputed  and 
famed  organizations  that  sprang  out  of  her,  together 
with  those  claiming  to  be  Congregationalists  or  Inde- 
pendents, down  to  that  of  the  Disciple  Church ;  all  of 
which  have  imbibed  more  or  less  of  the  spirit  of  intol- 
erance, pride,  and  selfishness  that  characterized  the  old 
mother,  excepting  always  the  noble  men  and  women 
who  have  wrought,  independently  of  creed,  for  the 
rights  of  men  and  the  world's  progress.  War  and  cork 
flict  have  been  the  order  all  the  way  from  the  rise  of  the 
Reformation.  When  there  were  no  Catholics  to  con- 
tend with,  the  conflict  has  been  between  the  Protestants 
themselves,  creed  against  creed.  No  telling  what  con- 
dition the  world  would  have  been  in  were  it  not  that 
the  great  organizations,  or  sects,  jealously  watch  each 
other's  progress  and  power. 

The  pope  would  issue  bulls  against  all  who  had  suffi- 
cient courage  to  oppose  his  usurpations  and  haughty 
dictations,  and  would  brand  them  "heretics,"  bar  his 
churches  against  them,  and  thus  cut  off  free  investiga- 
tion. He  inaugurated  the  Inquisition  as  a  school  of 
reform,  and  by  racking,  cutting,  burning,  and  in  a 
thousand  ways  lacerated  human  beings,  to  enforce  a 
recantation  of  avowed  religious  opinions,  which,  if 
refused,  they  were  punished  even  unto  death.  Hence, 
hundreds  and  thousands  lost  their  lives  under  the 
unholy  and  iron  rule  of  "The  Mother  of  Harlots." 
The  daughters  received  in  a  modified  form  of  her  spirit 
and  disposition. 


1  i:r:SIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  181 

The  l:i\v  being  agaiBflt  their  inaugurating  the  Inqui- 
sition and  iaflteting  corporal  pomshments,  they  resort 
to  intimidation,  to  d<>-ini:  their  churches  against  those 
holding  different  religious  views  to  themselves  ;  forbid 
their  mi 'inhere  going  to  hear  any  except  their  own 
preachers;  tearh  their  ehildren  not  to  associate  with 
and  properly  resj>cct  those  not  of  their  faith,  and 
'iiraire  them  in  pointing  the  linger  of  scorn  at  them 
because  of  not  beloiiL'ini:  to  tlieir  ereed  :  i,  strict  them  to 
reading  only  those  books,  catechi-ms,  and  papers  put  out 
by  tlu-ir  fa\orite  sect ;  encounige  the  nicknaming  of 
othcr>'  children  localise  their  parents  hold  to  another  reli- 
gious faith  not  >o  popular  and  powerful  a-  theirown  ;  will 
i  oilier  tho-e  wort hy  and  competent  because 
they  are  not  of  their  faith  :  at  the  same,  time  hold  that 
if  a  man  is  only  conscientious  in  his  religions  belief  he 
is  all  rii-ht  any  \\a\.  Snme  will  <ro  so  far  as  to  band 
together  and  >tealthily  move  npoii  j)eoplt;  at  the  dead 
hours  of  night,  —  eateh  them,  strip  them,  and  tar  and 
them,  and  thus  oppose,  discourage, menace,  and 
tin-.  -ible  ol. Marie  in  their  way  because  they 

do  not  snl.Miihe  to  their  rules  of  faith  and  doctrine; 
pass  them  by,  sneer  at  and  socially  ostracize  them  from 
their  company,  t'pon  the  top  of  all  of  this  they  will 
style  themselves  "disciples  of  Christ,"  f< followers  of 
the  mrrk  and  lowly  Jesus,"  who  was  put  out  of  syna- 
gogues but  never  put  anybody  out,  frowned  down  and 
looked  upon  with  contempt,  but  bore  it  patiently; 
whosr  sublime  teachinir  was  ever,  rf  As  ye  would  that 
mm  >hould  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them." 

The>r  practices,  so  common  among  Protestant  socie- 


182  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

ties  and  their  members,  show  conclusively  that  the 
Reformation  has  not  gone  quite  far  enough  ;  that  it  has 
not  attained  the  high  ground  sought  for;  that  still 
there  is  room  for  improvement,  a  forward  movement 
to  be  made,  ere  the  Protestants  attain  that  unity  and 
Christ-like  spirit  so  essential  to  be  unmistakably  his. 

Jesus  said,  "If  a  house  be  divided  against  itself,  that 
house  cannot  stand."  (Mark  iii.  25.)  "Every  king- 
dom divided  against  itself  is  brought  to  desolation." 
(Matt.  xii.  25.)  This  divided  and  contending  condi- 
tion of  the  Protestant  world  is  viewed  with  alarm  and 
lamented  by  their  wisest  and  most  conscientious  apolo- 
gists. Might  as  well  try  to  make  sensible  men  believe 
that  light  is  darkness  and  darkness  light,  as  to  try  to 
convince  them  that  this  rivalry  and  conflict,  this  jeal- 
ousy and  envy,  this  dislike  and  hatred  of  each  other, 
are  going  on  in  the  recognized  church  of  God.  The  fol- 
lowing indicates  what  others  think  of  this  condition  of 
Christendom.  It  is  rather  the  results  of  the  reign  of 
old  "mystery,  Babylon  "  —  confusion  —  than  the  work- 
ings and  manifestations  of  the  true  Christian  spirit  and 
graces. 

"  A  PERIL  TO  CHRISTIANITY.  —  A  discussion  of  great  im- 
portance is  going  on  in  the  present  time  in  China  respecting 
the  conflict  of  the  Protestant  sects  as  to  what  Christianity  is. 
There  are  forty  different  Protestant  bodies  competing  inde- 
pendently for  the  converts  in  the  Chinese  Empire.  The  larger 
and  better  established  of  these  organizations  have  all  the  way 
from  1247  to  9285  communicants.  The  chief  religious  bodies 

t  o 

are  Presbyterian,  Congregational,  Methodist,  Episcopal,  and 
Baptist.  Each  of  these  carries  into  the  Chinese  mission  field 
the  porcupine  quills »  with  which  it  is  accustomed  to  wound 


\M>    1'KIK.sTHOOD.  183 

hi.  ii  of  oth.-r  names  at  home.    The  efforts  of  the 

;i  China  repeat   the  bad  and  injurious  features  of 

they  represent  its  beneficent  work; 

they  load  do\\  ii  the  )i,  ath.'ii  \\.»rld  with  the  ( 'hristian  contradic- 

of  our  latest  religious  rivili/ation,  and  interfere  and  cut 

up  one  a;  ith  tin-  ..rity  in  the   heathen  world 

that  they  carry  on  their  religious  conflicts  here  at  home.  .  .  . 

ion,  but  each  one  takes  up 

work  wherevc  a  eh:mee  to  Mart  it,  with  the  result 

with  constant  interference, 

and  with  a  waste  of  effort  that    i-   huth  painful  in  itself  and 

:!y  to   the   mi  — innarv   hoards  at  home.     The  first 

native  1'ioic-tant  ehureh  in   .Japan   was  organized  in  1872,  and 

at  the  end  of   ls>  *  r  28,000  church  members. 

unity   in    .Japan    am"ii-    l'n»test:mt  workers  has   been  no 

.in  that   :  .ml  in  ( 'hina,  though  the  country  is 

concentrated    in  population   and   has  been  vastly  more 

under  the  influence  of  modern  civilization;  but  even  here  the 

-  been  that  the  ooi0i*<0f1  '  "x  teaching  was 

nee  to  the  atlnmce  of  Christi<inihj,  and   at  this  very 

moment  there  i>  a  demand  amonU'  the  Japanese  for  a  native 

church  in  which  Christianity  >hall  b«  lified  above  its  present 

sectarian  ma:  >US. 

I  he  peril  to  (  ///  in  loth  <'hnm  (md  Japan,  so  far 

as  1'  '  work  is  con>  '•»/•//  <//<«£, /row  the  prev- 

alence of  's  irltirh  constitute  the  religious 

embarrassment  in  J.  md  America.    What  must  intelligent 

(  hinamen  or   keen-witted   Japanese   think    of    a  Christianity 
which  is  repr.  v  so  many  sects?    How  can  the  Christian 

Mway  when  the  variations  of  Protestantism 
area  ant  to  the  common-sense  of  the  heathen  as  they 

wen-  assing    to    IJossuet  on   his   attempt  to  reconcile 

them  with  the   |;..m:iii  Catholic  Church?      Missionary  work  in 
our  ANY-tern   towns    is    so  degraded  by  competitions  among 
i-  4  corner  lots  '•  for  churches  that  the  intelligent 
in  dan-ei-  of  losing  his  respect  for  Christianity 
ly,  when  he  teefl  its  principles  put  to  shame  by  the  rival- 


184  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

ries  of  its  representatives;  but  this  does  not  begin  to  be  so  bad 
as  the  impression  which  a  disciple  of  Confucius  must  receive 
when  he  sees  Protestant  Christians  going  to  war  '  at  a  woful, 
shattered,  tattered,  sorry  disadvantage.'  Dr.  Alexander  Wil- 
liamson, a  veteran  Chinese  missionary,  puts  the  case  of  dis- 
agreement very  forcibly  in  a  recent  appeal,  where  he  says: 
*  We  have  three  branches  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  eight  differ- 
ent sects  of  Presbyterians,  six  sects  of  Methodists,  two  Con- 
gregationalists,  two  Baptists,  beside  several  other  minor  bodies, 
all  acting  independently  of  each  other.'  When  John  Chinaman 
is  asked  to  become  a  Christian,  he  says  plainly:  *  Agree  among 
yourselves,  and  then  we  will  listen  to  you.'  This  judgment  is 
met  with  as  much  in  Japan  as  in  China;  but  in  the  latter  coun- 
try, under  the  new  constitution,  it  is  possible  that  before  a 
great  while  a  native  Japanese  church  may  grow  out  of  the 
existing  Christianity  and  fuse  the  present  Protestant  elements 
into  one  living  and  consistent  whole.  Under  such  treatment 
Japan  would  become  essentially  a  Christian  nation;  but  in  the 
Empire  of  China,  which  could  absorb,  perhaps,  thirty  Japans, 
and  where  the  Christian  population,  both  Protestant  and  Roman 
Catholic,  is  only  an  iota  of  the  whole  population,  no  such 
national  organization  of  religion  is  possible.  The  most  that 
can  be  done  for  the  different  denominations  of  Christians  is  to 
consent  to  drop  their  sectarian  ideas,  and  constitute  for  them- 
selves a  religious  basis  that  stands  for  the  working  agreements 
of  Christianity.  This  is  as  far  as  they  can  go,  and,  unless  they 
go  thus  far,  it  is  a  serious  question  whether  the  missionary 
investments  are  directly  worth  while.  Indirectly,  the  mission- 
aries in  China  have  done  more  than  any  others  to  open  that 
empire  to  Western  civilization ;  but  this  is  incidental  to  their 
missionary  principle,  not  the  main  thing  for  which  they  were 
established.  It  will  remove  a  great  difficulty  if  Protestant 
Christians  can  be  made  to  see,  from  the  point  where  they  now 
stand,  that  in  their  present  divided  state  they  can  never 
Christianize  China."  —  Boston  Herald. 

While  it  may  be  true  that  no  formal  declaration  has 
been  made  by  any  one  of  the  great  denominations  to 


I  I:I:MM  \<  \     \M>    ri;ii:>Tiioui>.  185 

carry  on  the  kind  of  ostracism,  resentment,  and  perse- 
cution mentioned,  yet  they  ha \  e  condoned  and  winked  at 
•  •s  when  done  l>y  the  members  of  their  respec- 
iiich  virtually  commits  them  as  sanction- 
ing such  kind  of  work-.      Minorities  and  small  organiza- 
tions have  been   made   to  suffer  constantly  from   the 
encroachment  and  domination  of  the  older,  larger,  and 
IIKTC  successful  ones;  more  especially  if  apparent  that 
the    new    had   within    it    the   elements    of  success  and 
malry.       Indeed,  the  advancement,  toleration,  freedom, 
true  enliirliteni:  med  in  modern  civilization 

may  l»e  attributed  lamely  t<>  the  rivalry  of  the  larger 
Sects,  the  jralou-y  of  each  other's  BUOC66S,  their  conflict 
uith  >c< -ptici-m,  and  sceptic! >m  contending  for  liberty 
and  freedom  against  them,  rather  than  a  conscientious 
;tion,  unfolding  and  following  of  the  true  Gospel 
))rinciples  of  freedom,  toleration,  and  the  rights  of  men 
set  out  in  the  New  Testament.  Infidels  are  sought 
and  preferred  f.>r  political  honors  rather  than  church 
men,  l»ecau>e  of  their  non-partisan  spirit  and  avowed 
toleration.  No  one  denomination  implicitly  confides  in 
another.  Kach  seek*,  with  opportunity,  to  intrench  and 
make  stronger  financially  his  own  denomination,  at  the 

ruse  of  others. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  true  church  of  Christ  is 
embraced  in  all  of  the  sects,  not  ill  anyone  of  them  ; 
that  a  conscientious  worship  is  a  true  worship,  how- 

:  far  n  moved  from  the  fundamental  Christian  doc- 
nines,  taught  by  the  Master  and  in  whatever  church, 
only  that  they  profess  a  faith  in  him.  Indeed  it  is 
strongly  advocated,  by  many,  that  doctrine  is  a  bin- 


186  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

deranco  to  the  Christian  cause  —  non-essential.  They 
seem  to  forget  that  Paul  wrote  that  "the  time  will 
come  when  they  will  not  endure  sound  doctrine"  (2 
Tim.  iv.  3),  and  to  "  Take  heed  unto  thyself,  and  unto 
the  doctrine  ;  continue  in  them  :  for  in  doing  this  thou 
shalt  both  save  thyself,  and  them  that  hear  thee." 
(1  Tim.  iv.  16.) 

If  the  claim  be  true  that  the  true  Christian  church  is 
embraced  in  all  of  the  Christian  sects,  so  called,  why 
all  this  rivalry  between  them  ?  Why  not  build  up  one 
department  just  as  well  as  another?  Why  not  dedicate 
churches  for  all  denominations  and  declare  for  a  free 
pulpit  rather  than  to  "our  worship  only,"  or  to  a  few 
of  the  larger  and  more  influential  sects  who  are  willing 
to  join  the  "  Evangelical  Alliance  "  just  because  each  is 
bound  to  respect  the  other  by  reason  of  its  numbers, 
power,  and  influence?  Whoever  heard  tell  of  an 
^ Evangelical  Alliance " in  the  church  of  God?  In  the 
church  of  Jesus  Christ  the  members,  including  all  of 
the  parts,  were  united  upon  the  basis  of  doctrine,  spirit, 
and  a  oneness  characteristic  of  the  institution  itself. 
They  were  constitutionally  one.  Divisions  and  dis- 
cords were  the  unnatural  condition,  signs  of  deteriora- 
tion to  end,  if  persisted  in,  in  final  rejection.  So  we 
read :  — 

"  Mark  them  which  cause  division  and  offences  contrary  to 
the  doctrine  which  ye  have  learned;  and  avoid  them."  —  Rom. 
xvi.  17.  (See  Acts  xv.  1,  5,  24 •,  1  Tim.  vi.  3;  1  Cor.  hi.;  1  Tim. 
i.  3;  Gal.  i.;  2  Cor.  xi.  4.) 

"  For  whereas  there  is  among  you  envying,  and  strife,  and 
divisions,  are  ye  not  carnal,  and  walk  as  men?  "  — 1  Cor.  iii.  3. 

"  Be  of  the  same  mind  one  toward  another."  —  Rom.  xii.  16. 


I'KKSIDKM'Y      VXD     I'KI  KSTIIOOD.  187 

'I'h.  i-  and  divisions  arc  unnatural  irrowths. 

They  (1.)  not  c\ist  as  a  necessity  or  as  component  parts 
in  their  di-eordant  party  stife  of  the  Christian  institu- 
tion. The  pompon-  elaim  that  these  constitute  the  true 
('hri-tian  Church,  or  that  it  is  composed  of  them,  can 
Iw  nothing  more  than  a  .-beer  make-believe. 

Hut,  read-  .11  -tartled?  Have  you  lost  sight 

le  which  yon  held  in  your  hand  when  we 
began  cxploiinir  the  dark  i  of  "my-tcry,  liaby- 

lon  "  in  M'arch  of  the  true,  order  of  (iod?  Are  you 
di-couraged,  and  al>ont  to  accept  some  of  these  man- 
ma. le  institution-,  Imilt  on  creeds,  as  the  church  of 
rim>t,  \\liich  in  many  respect-  are  hut  so  many  institu- 
tion- ofgiiin?  Let  me  exhort  yon  at  this  tryinir  hour 
to  be  /'*/////////  /'/  yaw  >j> 

In  this  \\orld,  when  men  unite  themselves  to  any 
foiin  of  Lr<»vernment,  the\  ;ii'e  entitle<l  to  all  the  bless- 
in-j-  and  pi'ivih»Lrcs  guaranteed  to  citixens  hy  the  laws 
of  that  irovcrnment.  lint  nnle.--  they  are  made  citi- 
-,  indeed,  they  are  not  >o  entitled  ;  and  this  is  true, 
al-o,  <»f  the  kiliLrdom  of  (  iod. 

In  the  KepnUir  of  the  United  States  the  laws  guar- 
riti/en-  tli<'  ri.irlit  of  life,  liberty,  and  the 
pnr-nit  of  happiness;  to  hold  property,  receive  redress 
of  mrong*,  enj..y  -nllVaire,  etc.  The  officers  of  the  Re- 
pnblic  are  President,  Vice-President,  senators,  judges, 
reprr-fiitati\e-,  -e.ivtaries,  etc.,  all  of  whom  are 
appointed  and  authori/ed  by  the  power  inherent  in  the 
Kepnbiie.  If,  in  the  course  of  a  decade  of  years,  the 
1'n-ident  -lionld  be  removed,  the  citizen's  vote  be  taken 
•Wl  iiato  overturned,  and  the  House  of  Repre- 


188  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

sentatives  subverted,  and  a  dictator  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  government,  would  it  be  any  longer  the  beautiful 
Republic  of  the  United  States?  Oh,  no  !  it  would  be 
something  else  far  different. 

This  is  true,  also,  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Christ  is 
the  head  of  his  own  kingdom,  and  has  designated  its 
order  and  authority,  —  the  kind  of  officers,  the  code  of 
laws,  and  the  blessings  belonging  thereto ;  and  he  has 
not  at  any  time*  authorized  men  to  change  his  order  of 
government,  displace  his  specified  officers,  or  in  any- 
wise change  his  laws  or  abrogate  his  promised  bless- 
ings. They  were  to  remain  intact  until  the  Saviour's 
coming,  if  men  would  but  conform  to  the  constitution 
governing  in  his  church  or  kingdom.  They  were  given 
to  the  church  when  Peter,  James,  and  John,  and  others 
were  her  crown  of  stars ;  a  most  beautiful  and  graphic 
description  of  which  you  will  find  in  your  guide,  — 
the  New  Testament. 

Her  officers  were  apostles,  prophets,  evangelists, 
teachers,  pastors,  etc. ;  her  laws,  faith,  repentance, 
baptisms,  the  laying  on  of  hands,  patience,  kindness, 
love,  charity,  meekness,  humility;  her  gifts  and  bless- 
ings, peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  knowledge,  wis- 
dom, prophecy,  healings,  tongues,  the  interpretation  of 
tongues,  discerning  of  spirits,  visiting  of  angels,  and 
communion  with  God;  and  her  ultimate  reward  to  all 
of  the  faithful,  a  crown  of  immortality  and  eternal 
life.  These  are  the  chief  points  or  characteristics  by 
which  she  can  be  properly  identified. 

After  having  made  diligent  search  among  all  of  the 
societies  and  organizations  extant,  with  your  guide  in 


rUKSIDENCY    AM>    I'KIKSTIIOOD.  189 

hand,  \\here  do  you  find  amidst  them  all,  my  friend  and 
reader,  an  institution  in  exact  aecord  with  the  pattern 
given  of  Chri-t  -  ehmvh  ?  Ah,  echo  answers,  —  where? 
one  estal»li>he,l  according  to  thia  plan  is  all  that  God 
has  ever  deigned  to  acknowledge  as  his.  What  will 
\ou  do?  Throw  away  your  Linidi*,  and  join  a  daughter 

'he  old  mother,  or  ><>me  institution  of  men?  You 
cannot  ailord  to  do  tin-,  for  hy  and  l»y  you  will  he  re- 
quired to  give  an  aeemmt  for  your  opportunities  in  this 
lite,  and  \onr  kn«  »\\  h-dirt?  Of  the  Word  of  God.  You 
will  need  to  appear  het'mv  the  -rent  har,  where  the 

:ire  knows  all,  —  where  there  will  U>  no  chance  for 
evasion.  "The  word  that  I  have  -poken,  the  same  shall 
judirr  him  in  the  last  day,"  says  Je-u-.  (John  xii.  48.) 
You  will  rememher  that  he 


"  Tht-.-   >i-n-   -hail    f.-liow  tlinn    iliat    IM-IJI-VI-;    In   my  name- 

shall  they  cast  out  thviU;  tiny  shall  speak  with  new  tongues; 

shall  take  up  serpent*;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing, 

it  >hall  not  hurt  them;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and 

they  shall  recover."  —  Mark  xvi.  17,  18. 

u  And  God  hath  net  some  in  the  church,  first  apostles,  sec- 
ondarily prophets,  thirdly  teachers,  after  that  miracles,  then 
gifts  of  healings,  helps,  governments,  diversities  of  tongues." 

—  i  <          2a 

"  Is  any  sick  among  you?  let  him  call  for  the  elders  of  the 
church;  and  let  tin  m  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  witli  oil  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord:  and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the 
JM,  v.  n.  i.v 

To  one  is  given  by  the  Spirit  the  word  of  wisdom;  to 
another  the  word  of  knowledge  by  the  same  Spirit;  ...  to 
another  the  gifts  of  healing  by  the  same  Spirit;  to  another  the 
working  of  miracles;  to  another  prophecy;  to  another  discern- 

of  spirits;  to  another  divers  kinds  of  tongues;  to  another 
the  interpretation  of  tongues."—!  Cor.  xii.  8-10. 


190  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

"Ancf  he  gave  some,  apostles;  and  some,  prophets;  and  some, 
evangelists;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers;  for  the  pei  feeling 
of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  edifying  of 
the  body  of  Christ:  till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith."  — 
Eph.  iv.  11-13. 

"  Though  we,  or  an  angel  from  heaven,  preach  any  other 
gospel  unto  you  than  that  which  we  have  preached  unto  you, 
let  him  be  accursed."  —  Gal.  i.  8. 

You  will  be  conscious  that  the  book  containing  these 
words,  and  many  more  of  a  similar  import,  was  your 
guide  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven  in  this  life.  What  a 
great  loss  you  must  necessarily  suffer,  should  it  turn 
out  that  for  the  sake  of  popularity,  and  worldly  riches, 
and  fame,  you  threw  away  your  guide  ;  let  others  do 
your  thinking ;  chose  darkness  rather  than  hold  out  for 
the  light;  went  into  "mystery,  Babylon,'  and  joined 
yourself  to  an  harlot,  or  one  of  the  institutions  of  men  ! 
Oh,  let  me  exhort  you,  my  dear  friend,  to  stick  to  your 
guide! 

Remember  that  your  guide  says,  "  If  any  of  you  lack 
wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men 
liberally,  and  upbraideth  not ;  and  it  shall  be  given 
him."  (Jas.  i.  5.)  "Seek,  and  ye  shall  find,  knock, 
and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you."  "Pray  without  ceas- 
ing," but  be  careful  not  to  "  ask  amiss  "  to  consume 
upon  your  lusts. 

Tired  and  discouraged,  perhaps,  you  are  ready  to 
exclaim  :  "  With  guide  in  hand,  I  have  surveyed  the 
whole  of  Christendom,  and  I  have  failed  to  find  an 
organization  in  harmony  with  it,  or  anything  approxi- 
mating it.  I  want  to  be  saved  !  I  must  join  some- 
thing, or  I  am  lost !  "  Hold,  sir  !  The  daughters  of 


i'i:r.-IM   \<   V    AM)    I'LII  STIIOOD.  191 

"  u\\  -lu-N  ,  1',-d.N  I. MI."  cannot  u  ;  neither  any  insti- 

tution of  mm.  You  are  commanded,  "Seek  ye  first 
the  kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righteousness."  (Matt. 
rff  •">•"'•>  ^  of  the  earth;  examine 

oigiini/ation-,  j.arti.-,  and  ereeds  ;  explore  the  lasting 
hill-;  ride  the  <>eran  over,  and  penetrate  the  islands 
"f  the  seas;  scour  the  whole  of  (iod's  universe,  with 
hi-  law  in  your  hand,  and  if  you  do  not  iind 

..•thin^  in  harmony  with  that  pattern,  move  on  until 
\ou  appear  ;t    tin-one;   rai-e  your  guide 

>ur  hand,  and  tell  the  immortal  King  that  you  sought 
a  uhoie  lifetime  lor  his  elmreh  and  kingdom,  but  found 
nothing  but  easily  deteeied  e(»nnterfeits,  spurious  sys- 
tems, man-mad.  ..  and  that  rather  than  dis- 
re-pret  hi-  la\\  an«l  >tultify  your  eonx-ience,  you  joined 
none  of  th«  in,  an<l  that,  now  you  stand  before  him 
with  a  elear  eon-eiep.-o  as  having  <lono  the  best  you 
could;  that  you  have  retained  your  manhood,  and  main- 
tained the  diirnitN  of  hi-  \\ord  against  all  deceivers  and 

ofuipen. 

Ah,  >ir  !    I  faney  I  see  now  the  immortal  lyres,  golden 

harp-,    and     ln-axeiily  s    sending    forth    their 

iid    angels,    cherubim,    archangels, 

and  god<,  adorned  with  all  the  glory  and  splendor  of 
their  relr-iial  armor,  forming  in  line,  with  all  heaven 
in  grand  ar;  five  //•///////>//<>//*  entrance  to  such  a 

i,  perhap-,  you  have  beeome  so  weary  of  seeking, 
vou  ai-e  about  to  give  up  in  de-pair.  Courage,  brother! 

once  mo 
There  is  a  ehureh  extnnt  whieh  is  in  exact  accord  Nvith 


192  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

the  one  set  out  in  your  guide.  But  in  consequence  of 
the  great  myth — "mystery,  Babylon"  —  surrounding 
you,  you  have  been  led  to  overlook  it.  For  as  to  num- 
bers, in  comparison  with  the  great  and  powerful  sects 
extant,  it  is  as  a  pearl  in  the  ocean,  a  treasure  in  a  field, 
a  little  stone  beside  a  great  mountain.  It  is  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints.  For  definite 
distinction,  on  account  of  the  latter-day  apostasy,  it 
is  known  as  the  Reorganized  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-Day  Saints. 

Again  seize  your  guide,  and  come  forward  and  test  it. 
If  it,  like  others,  is  found  untrue,  leave  it  behind  and 
seek  on.  But  this  you  will  find  to  be  in  exact  harmony 
with  your  guide,  in  its  inception,  organization,  and  doc- 
trine, and  in  it  you  will  find  peace,  rest,  and  safety. 


CIIAl'TKR    X. 

PII   SMIIII.   .In..    VM»    mi    CniK.-ii  or  .Ji->c*  CIIKISTOF 

>  \i.\T8. 


TIM:   chief  instrument  in  tho  hands   of  God   in  the 
fonndinir  of   this   church  was  Jo>rph  Smith,  Jr.     He 
was  horn  in  tin-  Year  1805,  on  the  2.')d  of  December,  in 
ton  n  of  Sharon,  Windsor  County,  Vt.     When  about 
ii    Y.-ars  of  age  he  was  greatly  wrought  upon  in 
regard  to  n-hirion,  and  -»-t  ahout  to  discover,  if  possible, 
the  true  rhmvh  of  <  'hri-t.      Hr  had  observed  with  pain 
and  great  concern   the   divisions  and  discords  in  the 
u  "iM  among  the  sects.     More  especially  was  he  made 
.nd  sense  the  evil  effects  of  this  conflict  and  con- 
!•  -I  it  ion  Ix'tween  the  churches  as  it  was  hroudit  into  his 
fatlin's  family  —  some  favoring  one  sect,  and  others  an- 
otli.  us  about   his  own  welfare,  but  not 

knowing  wliich  elnirch  to  unite  with,  on  an  occasion, 
while  much  perplrxrd  in  mind,  he  was  reading  in  the 
Piihle  in  search  <>f  liirht,  and  his  eyes  rested  upon  the 
following  :  — 

"  If  anv  ..f  you  lack  \\N«l«»m,  let  liini  ask  of  (iod,  that  giveth 
in.  i,  liberally,  and  upbraiih-ih  not;  and  it  shall  be  given 
him."  —  Jas.  ; 

II.     ini    tOO   yonnir  and   contidin.ir   to  presume   that 
;  diil   not   >ay  what   he  meant,  and   meant  what  he 


194  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

said ;  so  he  retired  into  a  grove  and  kneeled  down  and 
prayed ;  and  while  at  prayer  a  vision  was  opened  to 
him,  and  two  personages  appeared  unto  him  in  glory, 
standing  above  him  in  the  air.  One  of  them  spake 
unto  him,  calling  him  by  name,  arid  said,  pointing  to 
the  other,  "This  is  my  beloved  Son  ;  hear  him  !  "  The 
following  is  his  language  :  — 

u  My  object  in  going  to  inquire  of  the  Lord,  was  to  know 
which  of  all  these  sects  was  right,  that  I  might  know  which  to 
join.  ...  I  asked  the  personages  who  stood  above  me  in 
the  light,  which  of  all  the  sects  was  right, — for  at  that  time 
it  had  never  entered  into  my  heart  that  all  were  wrong,  — 
and  which  I  should  join.  I  was  answered  that  I  should  join 
none  of  them,  for  they  were  all  wrong;  and  the  personage  who 
addressed  me  said  that  all  their  creeds  were  an  abomination  in 
his  sight,  that  those  professors  were  all  corrupt,  '  They  draw 
near  me  with  their  lips,  but  their  hearts  are  far  from  me;  they 
teach  for  doctrine  the  commandments  of  men,  having  a  form 
of  godliness,  but  they  deny  the  power  thereof.'  He  again  for- 
bade me  to  join  any  of  them."  —  Times  and  Seasons,  Vol.  III., 
page  727. 

This  was  enough  to  start  a  conflict  with  the  pro- 
fessedly pious,  when  once  he  gave  an  account  of  the 
"vision,"  and  he  was  contemptuously  informed,  by 
accepted  ministers,  that  "It  was  all  of  the  Devil ;  that 
there  were  no  such  things  as  visions  or  revelations  in 
these  days ;  that  all  such  things  had  ceased  with  the 
apostles,  and  that  there  never  would  be  any  more  of 
them." 

On  the  eve  of  the  21st  of  September,  1823,  through 
fervent  prayer,  another  vision  was  presented  to  Mr. 
Smith,  and  he  gives  it,  in  part,  as  follows :  — 


PEKMM   \<   V    AM)    I'KIKSTIIOOD.  195 

"After    I    li:id    retired   to   my    l>ed   for  the   night,  I 

heiouk  iny-elf  to  prayer  :ind  supplication  to  Almighty 

;  tor  t'orLri  \eness  of  all  my  .sins  mid  follies,  and  also 

i'"i    a  manih-Maiion  to   me,  tliat  I  might  know  of  my 

MM. I  -landing  before  him,  for  I  had  full  confidence 

in  obtaining  a  divine  manifestation,  as  1  had  previously 

"  \\'liile  I  was  tliu-  in  the  art  of  calling  upon  God,  I 
I    liirht    appeai-iiii:  in  the    room,  which  con- 
tinual  :  :IM>  until   the  room  \\M>  lighter  than  at 
hen    immediately   a   per>onage   appeared  at 
my  Ittdaide,  standing   in  the  air,  for  his  feet  did  not 
h  the  floor.      He  had  on  a  loo>e  robe  of  most  exqui- 
site  \\hileii«->.      It    was   a  irhifeness    l..-\  oml  anything 
lily   I    1  r  seen,  nor  do  I  hclieve  that  any 
lily  thinir  could   In*  made  to  appear  so  exceedingly 
uhite  and   hrilliant.      Hi>    hands  were  naked,  and  his 
arm-  aUo,  a   little   al»o\e    the  wristej    BO,  also,  were  his 

naked)  aa  vere  lii-  leir-,  a  little  ahove  the  ankles. 
His  head  and  in •«  k  \\ «  re  al>o  hare.  I  could  discover 
that  he  had  no  other  clothing  on  but  this  rol»e,  as  it  was 
open  so  that  I  rould  see  into  his  hosom.  Not  only  was 
hi-  robe  exceedingly  white,  hut  his  whole  person  was 
glorious  Ix-yond  description,  and  his  countenance  truly 
like  lightning.  The  rwm  was  exceedingly  light,  but 
not  so  very  bright  as  immediately  around  his  person. 
When  I  HIM  looked  upon  him  I  was  afraid,  but  the  fear 
soon  left  me.  He  called  me  by  name,  and  said  unto 
me,  that  he  was  a  messenger  sent  from  the  presence  of 
God  tome,  and  that  his  name  was  Moroni;  that  God  had 
a  work  t«.i  in.  to  do.  and  that  my jiame  should  be  had 


196  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

spoken  of  among  all  people.  He  sa  d  there  was  a  book 
deposited,  written  upon  gold  plates,  giving  an  account 
of  the  former  inhabitants  of  this  continent,  and  the 
source  from  whence  they  sprang.  He  also  said  that 
the  fulness  of  the  everlasting  gospel  was  contained  in 
it,  as  delivered  by  the  Saviour  to  the  ancient  inhab- 
itants. Also,  that  there  were  two  stones  in  silver  bows 
(and  these  stones,  fastened  to  a  breastplate,  constituted 
what  is  called  the  Urim  and  Thummim),  deposited 
with  the  plates,  and  the  possession  and  use  of  these 
stones  was  what  constituted  seers  in  ancient  or  former 
times,  and  that  God  had  prepared  them  for  the  purpose 
of  translating  the  book. 

"After  telling  me  these  things,  he  commenced 
quoting  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament.  He 
first  quoted  a  part  of  the  third  chapter  of  Malachi,  and 
he  quoted,  also,  the  fourth  or  last  chapter  of  the  same 
prophecy,  though  with  a  little  variation  from  the  way 
it  reads  in  our  Bible.  Instead  of  quoting  the  first 
verse  as  it  reads  in  our  books,  he  quoted  it  thus  :  '  For 
behold,  the  day  cometh,  that  shall  burn  as  an  oven,  and 
all  the  proud,  yea,  and  all  that  do  wickedly,  shall  burn 
as  stubble;  for  they  that  come  shall  burn  them,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  that  it  shall  leave  them  neither  root 
nor  branch.'  And  again,  he  quoted  the  fifth  verse 
thus:  *  Behold,  I  will  reveal  unto  you  the  priesthood, 
by  the  hand  of  Elijah  the  Prophet,  before  the  coming 
of  the  great  and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord.'  He  also 
quoted  the  next  verse  differently:  'And  he  shall  plant 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  197 

in  th»' IK-  tin- children  the  promises  made  to  the 

fathers,  and  the  limit,  <>f  the  children  shall  turn  to 
their  father-  ;  if  it  were  not  so,  (he  whole  earth  would 
be  utterly  wa-ted  at  hi-  coming.'  In  addition  to  these, 
he  quoted  the  elr\rnth  chapter  of  Isaiah,  saying  that  it 
was  about  to  bo  fulfilled.  He  quoted,  also,  the  third 
chapter  of  Act-,  twenty— eeond  and  twenty-third  verses, 

-ely  as  they  stand  in  our  New  Testament.  He 
-aid  that  that  pr..p!:.  <  'hri>t  :  hut  the  day  had  not 

•  •mo  when 'they  \\lio  would  not  hear  his  voice 
-hould  IKJ  cut  oil'  from  among  the  people,'  but  soon 
\\ould  000)6,  He  also  quoted  the  second  chapter  of 
Joel,  fi-Min  the  twenty-eighth  verse  to  the  last.  He 
a  No  >aid  that  this  was  not  yet  fulfilled,  but  was  soon  to 

And  he  further  >tated,  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles 

>oon  to  come  in.  Ho  quoted  many  other  pas- 
sages of  Scripture,  and  otleivd  many  explanations 
\\hich  cannot  be  mentioned  here.  Again,  he  told  me 
that  when  I  -,.t  tlm-e  plates  of  which  he  had  spoken, — 
f«T  the  time  that  they  should  be  obtained  was  not  then 
fulfill. -d, — I  should  not  show  them  to  any  person; 
neither  the  breastplate  with  the  Urim  and  Thummim; 
only  to  those  to  whom  I  should  be  commanded  to  show 
them.  If  I  did,  I  should  be  destroyed.  While  he  was 
cnn\er-ing  with  me  about  the  plates,  the  vision  was 
opened  to  my  mind  that  I  could  see  the  place  where 
the  plates  were  deposited,  and  that  so  clearly  and 
di>tinetly  that  I  knew  the  place  again  when  I  visited  it. "/ 
—  Time*  and  Seasons,  Vol.  III.,  page  729. 

The   points  of  identity  between  the  predictions  as 
found  in  the  twenty-ninth  chapter  of  Isaiah  and  their 


198  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

fulfilment  in  the  revelation  of  the "Book  of  Mormon  "  as 
the  "hook  that  is  sealed"  of  verse  eleven,  concerning 
which  this  angel  message  gave  the  first  insight,  are  many 
and  most  wonderfully  striking.  They  cannot  fail  to 
attract  with  deep  interest  any  thoughtful  reader. 

(1.)  A  certain  people  was  to  he  unto  the  Lord  "as 
Ariel."  (v.  2.)  The  meaning  of  the  word  "Ariel"  is 
obscure.  It  is  thought  to  be  "Lion  of  God,"  or 
"Hearth  of  God."  Most  likely  the  former.  Accept- 
ing that  "Ariel  "  proper  was  the  city  or  people  where 
David  dwelt,  Jerusalem,  then  the  people  who  were  to 
be  unto  the  Lord  "AS  Ariel"  wTere  to  dwell  elsewhere, 
become  great,  and  constitute  a  new  "lion  of  God,"  or 
dwell  as  around  "the  hearth  of  God,"  meaning  that 
they  were  to  receive  his  especial  care,  aid,  and  pro- 
tection. The  margin  reads,  "  Woe  to  Ariel,  to  Ariel, 
of  the  city  where  David  dwelt !  "  So  that  we  have  pre- 
sented in  these  texts  what  may  be  termed  an  old  and  a 
new  "  Ariel."  A  comparison  between  two.  The  read- 
ing is,  "It  shall  be  unto  me  as  Ariel." 

(2.)  This  new  "Ariel  "  after  becoming  great  was  to 
be  "camped  against,"  besieged,  and  "forts"  raised 
against  it.  It  was  to  be  "  brought  down  "  and  "  speak 
out  of  the  ground."  "Thy  speech  shall  be  low  out  of 
the  dust."  As  one  that  hath  a  familiar  spirit  "out  of 
the  ground."  r?  Thy  speech  shall  whisper  out  of  the 
dust."  (v.  4.) 

By  reason  of  the  great  destruction  which  would 
eventually  be  sent  upon  this  people,  it  is  said  their 
"  strangers  "  and  "  terrible  ones  "  would  be  like  "  small 
dust "  and  as  "  chaff  that  passeth  away."  (v.  5.)  Dis- 


i'i;i>u>i:\(  v    AND   I'KiKsTiioon.  199 

sen>ion,  conflict,  war,  "thunder,"  "storm,"  "earth- 
quake," "  tempest,"  ;md  the  "  Maine  of  devouring  tire" 
were  to  unite  as  the  \vr:ith  of  God  to  brinij  about  their 
utter  destruction.  (  v.  «'.  )  No\\ ,  the  only  way  that  a 
people  could  w  speak  out  of  the  ground,"  or  "  whisper 
oul  of  the  du-t  "  to  intelliirent  mortals  in  fultilinent  of 
this  jiivdh -lion,  \\(»ukl  IK)  that  th«/ir  liistor.y  should  be 
\\rillrn  at  >«»mr  IMT'HM!  in  the  day  of  their  power  and 
prosperity,  and  it  IMTOHH'  lost,  rest  in  mute  silence 
;int  r  habitations  or  desolations,  since 
thrir  "trrri1  "  became  as  tin-  "rliatf  that  passeth 

away ,"  and  !•«•  di^o\dvd  ;md  bronirlit  to  light  by  some 
means  or  othrr  "  (.ut  of  tin-  L'l'.Mind,"  to  br  n-ad  by  Jin 
intrlli-jriit  \\Mj-ld  that  kiirw  not  of  tlu-m.  Such  a  his- 
is  clearly  indicated  in  verse  11  as  the  "  vision  of 
all"  which  \\a-  to  IMM-OHH-  a-  t  he  tf  words  of  a  book  that 
is  >ralrd,"  and  to  In*  of  -j-rri:d  iiot'h-e  and  iinporttincc 
at  the  time  of  it-  iwealment. 

Such  are  the  claims  set  forth  in  the  "  Sealed  Book,  or 
Book  of  Monnoii."  Thnv  we  ftP8  informed  that  about 
Imndivd  yein  betort-  the  birth  of  the  Saviour,  n 
colony  of  Jew*  left  Jern>alem  and  by  miraculous 
guidance  came  t«»  thi>  \\e-tern  continent,  —  the  Amer- 
they  irrcw  up  an  intelligent,  thrifty,  and 
powerful  p.-ople.  Tliey  were  highly  favored  of  the 
Lord,  and  received  commandments  and  revelations  from 
him  for  their  guidance  and  direction.  They  engaged 
in  all  the  labors  common  to  secular  life.  They  tilled 
tin-  soil,  mined,  manufactured,  built  cities,  churches, 
tempi,.,  :md  finally,  became  a  great  nation  and  empire 
in  the  New  World.  Hut  U  may  be  observed  in  the 


200  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

history  of  all  nations,  the  elements  of  dismemberment 
and  destruction  were  early  sown  in  the  new  colony. 
In  process  of  time,  jealousies,  division,  and  discords 
precipitated  war  and  conflict.  Great  leaders  marshalled 
their  hosts  for  the  terrible  strife.  Strong  places  of 
defence  were  prepared,  and  forts  and  towers  were 
erected.  The  great  nation  was  divided,  and  rushed  to 
arms.  She  was  lifted  up  in  pride,  and  forgot  her  God. 
Her  sins  reached  to  heaven.  For  her  transgression, 
her  glory  was  to  depart.  The  enemy  camped  against 
her  "round  about,"  and  laid  "  siege  against"  her  "  with 
a  mount,"  and  at  about  the  close  of  the  fourth  century 
of  the  Christian  era,  having  been  in  existence  about 
one  thousand  years,  by  sword,  and  judgment,  and 
robbery,  and  the  wrath  of  the  elements,  sent  of  God, 
she  was  "brought  down,"  laid  low  with  the  dust,  to 
speak  forever  "  out  of  the  ground,"  if  she  spoke  at  all, 
by  the  revelation  of  her  history  written  in  the  day  of 
her  power,  peace,  and  learning.  The  wild,  heartless 
savage  possessed  himself  of  their  lands,  cities,  courts, 
churches,  homes.  For  long  ages  he  has  roamed  sul- 
lenly over  the  sacred  places  where  civilization,  learning, 
the  arts,  sciences,  and  the  true  order  of  worship  were 
the  glory  of  the  great  nation.  Yet  he  is  a  savage 
still.  Their  ancient  habitations  remain  upon  the  con- 
tinent. Those  desirous  of  learning  from  other  sources 
of  this  great  nation,  read  the  late  archaeological  works 
of  Catherwood  and  Stephens,  "Ancient  America," 
by  Baldwin,  and  "The  North  Americans  of  Antiquity," 
by  John  T.  Short,  and  other  similar  works.  Head  also 
the  full  account  found  in  the  "Book  of  Mormon." 


I'l;l>I!'l  \<  V    AM>    1'UIESTIIOOD.  201 

Note  further  tin'  -alien!  points  in  the  prediction  of 
I>aiah  eonrerniiiL:  the  revelation  of  the  history  of  this 
lo-t  nation  :  (1.)  The  lM>ok  was  to  be  delivered  to  an 
unlearned  man.  (2.)  The  word-  of  the  hook  were  to 
l>r  drli\rrrd  to  the  leaned  man.  (3.)  The  learned 
would  not  l»e  aMe  t<>  n ;td  them.  (4.).  The  Lord 
\\ould  in-pire  thr  illiterate  man  to  rrad  it,  for  he  was 
to  "confound  thr  \\i-dom  of  thr  wise."  (f>.)  The 
deaf  were  to  lnar  thr  \\ord-  of  the  hook.  (6.)  God 
was  to  proceed  to  "do  a  marvellous  work  and  a  won- 
der.** (7.)  It  \\.i-  to  eommenoe  at  a  time  when  thr 
p.-Mple  \\onld  not  lirlieve  that  (Jod  could  or  would  do 
an\  thin^  of  a  inirarulon-  nature.  That  he  had  done 
\\ork,  and  the  ration  «»!'  re\  elation  was  full.  (8.) 
r  would  l»r  no  proj  -  amonir  the  people  : 

they  would  he  tiling  of  the  pa>t,  —  all  dead.  (9.) 
Il  \\ould  l»e  n-xraled  at  a  time  when  the  people  would 
be  very  reliiri"ii-  in  their  own  way.  (10.)  They 
would  preaeh  l»y  the  preropt-  and  doctrine  of  men. 
(11.)  Many  w..uld  "  -eek  deep"  to  hide  their  council ; 
and  mjt  "Who  >eeth  Hi?"  (12.)  It  was  to  come 
forth  ju-t  i  '  iod  should  favor  Israel  and  their 

land.      JftOO  would    soon    cease    its    paleness, 

j      They    th:it    murmured    should    learn    doctrine, 
deted  their  faUe  notions   that    'had   IMMIII   inflicted  upon 
them  hy  faUe  teachers,  and  set  them  in  the  way  of  the 
do(  triu.  .      (14.)     It   would    detect  false  spirits. 
They  that  erred  therein  should  come  to  understanding. 
(  15,  >      The  meek  >hould  increase  their  joy  in  the  Lord, 
and   the   poor  am.»nir  men   should  rejoice  in  the  Holy 
I-rarl,  i»tc. 


202  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

Under  these  circumstances,  and  in  fulfilment  of  these 
predictions,  God  was  to  move  against  the  pride  and 
haughtiness  of  men,  and  confound  the  wisdom  of  the 
wise  and  startle  the  world  by  his  great  wisdom,  power, 
and  inspiration  ;  inaugurate  his  "  marvellous  work  and 
a  wonder."  This  he  has  done.  Here  is  a  brief  narra- 
tive of  some  of  the  events  that  transpired  in  bringing 
to  light  the  long-lost  history. 

After  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  had  procured  the  plates 
from  which  the  "Book  of  Mormon"  was  translated,  he 
transcribed  a  number  of  the  characters  and  committed 
them  to  Martin  Harris,  of  Palmyra,  New  York,  with 
instructions  that  he  should  proceed  to  New  York  City 
and  submit  the  characters  to  the  learned  linguists  of 
that  city.  Harris  obeyed  the  instructions,  and  waited 
upon  Prof.  Anthon  and  Dr.  Mitchell,  with  the  paper 
containing  the  hieroglyphics  submitted  to  his  care. 
The  following  is  Mr.  Harris's  statement  concerning  his 
visit  to  these  learned  men  :  — 

w  I  went  to  the  city  of  New  York  and  presented  the 
characters  which  had  been  transcribed,  with  the  trans- 
lation thereof,  to  Prof.  Anthon,  a  gentleman  celebrated 
for  his  literary  attainments.  Prof.  Anthon  stated  that 
the  translation  was  correct ;  more  so  than  any  he  had 
before  seen  translated  from  the  Egyptian.  I  then 
showed  him  those  that  were  not  translated,  and  he  said 
they  were  Egyptian,  Chaldaie,  Assyrian,  and  Arabic, 
and  he  said  that  they  were  the  true  characters.  He 
gave  me  a  certificate  certifying  to  the  people  of  Palmyra 
that  they  were  the  true  characters,  and  that  the  trans- 
lation of  such  of  them  as  had  been  translated  was  also 


PRESIDENCY   AND   I'KIESTHOOD.  203 

correct.  I  took  (he  certilieate  and  put  it  into  my 
jM.rkrt,  ;m<l  \\:t>  ju>t  lea \  in-r  the  house  when  Mr.  Anthon 
railed  n  nn\  asked  me  how  the  young  man  found 

out  there  were  gold  plates  in  the  place  where  he  found 
them.  I  answered,  '  that  an  angel  of  God  had  revealed 
it  unto  him.'  II.  t ! in \  said  unto  me,  'Let  me  see  the 
Mirate.'  I  accordingly  took  it  out  of  my  pocket 
and  gave  it  to  him,  when  he  took  it  and  tore  it  to  pieces, 
-ay ing  there  was  no  such  thing  now  as  ministering  of 
angels,  and  that  if  I  would  bring  the  plates  to  him  he 
would  tran>late  them.  I  informed  him  that' a  part  of 
the  plates  were  sealed,  and  that  I  was  forbidden  to 
bring  them.  Ib-  replied,  fl  cannot  read  a  sealed 
book.'" 

This  statement  of  Martin  Harris  is  corroborated  and 
eontirnird  by  1'rof.  Antlion  hi m>elf,  notwithstanding  his 
private  opinion  about  the  characters  and  his  attempt  to 
cast  derision  u|K>n  the  claim  made  for  the  book.  Said 
lie  :  "Some  years  ago  a  plain,  apparently  simple-hearted 
fanner  called  on  me  with  a  note  from  Dr.  Mitchell,  of 
our  city,  now  dead,  requesting  me  to  decipher,  if  pos- 
sible, a  paper  which  the  farmer  would  hand  me,  and 
which  Dr.  Mitehrll  confessed  he  had  been  unable  to 
understand.  When  I  asked  the  person  who  brought  it 
how  ho  obtained  the  writing,  he  gave  me,  as  far  as  I 
now  iveollret  [note  this  language, '  as  far  as  I  now  recol- 
lect'], the  following  account.  A  gold  book  consist- 
ing of  a  uunil)er  of  plates  of  gold  fastened  together  in 
the  shape  of  a  book,  by  wires  of  the  same  metal,  which 
had  been  dug  up  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  along  with  the  book  an  enormous  pair 


204  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

of  gold  spectacles.  (Urim  and  Thummim.)  These 
spectacles  were  so  large  that  if  a  person  attempted  to 
look  through  them,  his  two  eyes  would  have  to  be  turned 
toward  one  of  the  glasses  merely,  the  spectacles  in 
question  being  altogether  too  large  for  the  human  face. 
Whoever  examined  the  plates  through  the  spectacles 
was  enabled  to  not  only  read  them,  but  understand 
their  meaning.  All  of  this  knowledge,  however,  was 
confined  at  that  time  to  a  young  man  who  had  the 
trunk  containing  the  plates  and  spectacles  in  his  sole 
possession.  He  put  on  the  spectacles,  or  rather  looked 
through  one  of  the  glasses,  and  deciphered  the  charac- 
ters in  the  book,  and  having  committed  some  of  them 
to  paper,  handed  copies  to  a  person  outside.  This 
paper  was  in  fact  a  singular  scroll.  It  consisted  of  all 
kinds  of  crooked  characters,  disposed  in  columns,  and 
had  evidently  been  prepared  by  some  person  who  had 
before  him  at  the  time  a  book  containing  various  alpha- 
bets, Greek  and  Hebrew  letters,  crosses  and  flourishes. 
Roman  letters  inverted  or  placed  sideways,  were  ranged 
in  perpendicular  columns,  and  the  whole  ended  in  a 
rude  delineation  of  a  circle,  divided  into  various  com- 
partments, decked  with  various  strange  marks,  and 
evidently  copied  after  the  Mexican  calendar  given  by 
Humboldt."  (E.  D.  Howe's  work,  page  272.) 

(Here  is  presented  afac-simile  of  the  characters  sent 
by  Mr.  Smith  to  Prof.  Anthon  and  Dr.  Mitchell  by 
Martin  Harris,  the  ones  not  translated.  The  ones 
translated  were  written  in  columns,  if  Anthon's  state- 
ment is  correct  as  to  the  character  having  been  written 
in  columns.  (Plate  1.)  These  characters  were  photo- 


NO.  a./ 


I  i:i>II>KNCT   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  205 

graphed  from  the  original  document  borne  by  Mr.  Har- 

:it   the  direction  of  the  late  David  Whitmer,  who 

had  iii  his  jxjssession,  at  the  time,  said  paper.     They 

were  carefully  examined  and  compared  by  the  author.) 

The  reader  will  hear  in  mind  that  Prof.  Anthon  made 
his  statement  a  number  of  years  after  he  was  visited 
by  Mr.  Harri-.  lie  endeavors  to  treat  lightly  and  cast 
di-credit  u|K)n  the  claims  made  concerning  the  reveal- 
inent  and  translation  of  the  book  by  Mr.  Smith  (hav- 
ing taken  Milrs  with  tin*  popular  current,  not  believing 
in  th«i  \  i-itaiion  of  :niLr«  1- ),  but  he  confesses,  neverthe- 
less,  that  both  he  and  Dr.  Mitchell  were  waited  upon 
by  Mr.  !  with  a  copy  of  the  characters,  and  that 

they  examine.!  them,  ju.-t  as  is  affirmed  by  Mr.  Harris, 
and  as  is  predicted  in  the  twenty-ninth  chapter  of 
:h,  and  the  eleventh  verse,  would  be  done,  which 
he  main  point  in  this  investigation,  and  that  neither 
of  them  were  able  to  decipher  them.  Indeed,  there  is 
nothinir  in  the  prediction  of  Isaiah  to  indicate  that  the 
iicd  to  whom  the  "words  of  the  book  "would  be 
Mibmihed  would  believe  anything  in  the  transaction, 
l»ut  rather  the  revei 

They  were  real  characters  ;  so  much  so  that  the  opin- 
ion is  expre-sed  that  the  copyist  must  have  had  several 
ancient  alphabet  before  him  when  the  characters  were 
made. 

Now,  it  is  universally  conceded  that  Mr.  Smith  was 
both  young  and  illiterate  when  this  transaction  took 
place.  He  was  a  poor  reader  of  the  English  language, 
and  a  poorer  pemi.an.  It  was  necessary  for  him  to  em- 
ploy a  scribe,  who  \\i-ote  as  he  dictated.  Not,  as  stated 


206  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

by  Prof.  Anthon,  by  "handing  copies  to  a  person  out- 
side," but  the  scribe  wrote  the  words  as  they  were 
pronounced  by  Smith,  the  harder  ones  being  spelled 
out  letter  by  letter.  According  to  the  prophecy,  the 
unlearned  man  was  to  possess  the  book.  To  the 
"learned" man  was  to  be  delivered  the  "  words  of  the 
book."  The  implication  is  all  through  that  the  illiterate 
man,  by  God's  aid,  would  be  able  to  translate  the  book, 
and  of  course  would  be  the  one  to  submit  the  characters 
to  the  learned.  Mr.  Smith  did  both.  The  book  is  here 
to  speak  for  itself.  It  can  be  read.  It  is  indeed  a  "  mar- 
vel." All  agree  that  Smith  could  not  have  written  it. 
No  origin  has  been  assigned  to  it  by  its  enemies  that  is 
worth  considering.  The  old  Spaulding  theory  advanced, 
—  set  on  foot  in  a  similar  manner  that  the  story  was 
started  that  the  disciples  came  by  night  and  stole  him 
away  while  the  soldiers  slept,  —  gulped  down  by  some 
for  the  want  of  something  more  reasonable  other  than 
the  facts,  is  too  absurd  for  any  candid  person  to  believe. 
With  the  touch  of  truth  its  deformity,  absurdity,  and 
rottenness  appear  at  once.  No  proper  reader  can  in- 
dorse the  Spaulding  fraud,  however  inconsistent  he  may 
think  the  claim  for  the  "  Book  of  Mormon  "  may  be. 

How  strange  and  marvellous  all  this  is  !  Especially 
when  we  observe  that  the  universal  belief,  at  this  time, 
was  that  revelation,  immediate  and  direct  from  God, 
had  ceased  ;  that  there  could  be  no  more  visiting  of 
angels,  or  the  obtaining  of  a  message  from  them. 
The  description  of  the  heavenly  inhabitant  who  visited 
Mr.  Smith  is  so  exact,  natural,  and  real,  that  conviction 
is  at  once  forced  upon  the  mind  by  the  narrative.  It 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  207 

h:i>  all  tlu»  ring  and  exactness  of  truth.  A  plain, 
straightforward  narration  of  facts,  us  seen  ;  as  truthful 
and  real  as  that  related  as  seen  by  Paul  while  on  his 
way  to  Damascus. 

Strange,  however,  as  it  all  may  seem,  and  is,  it  is  in 

<  t  accord  with  the  manner  that  it  is  predicted  in  the 

prophets  that  the  gospel  should  he  restored  in  the  last 

Iiring  your  BiMr,  the  true  guide  and  test  in 
tin-  invr-tiiratiun,  and  I  will  point  out  as  strange 
and  mnarkaMr  llfmi:-  in  it.  Look  at  the  book  of 

ion,  fourth  chapter  and  first  and  second  verses, 
which  reads:  — 

"  A  door  was  opened  in  heaven:  and  the  first  voice  which  I 

heard  was  as  it  were  of  a  trumpet  talking  with  me;  which  said, 

Come  up  hither,  and  I  will  shew  ihce  things  which  must  be 

ifter.    And  irame<ii:it<  ly  I  was  iu  the  Spirit:  and,  behold, 

a  throne  was  « 

This  vision  was  given  in  about  the  year  96  of  the 
Christian  era.  The  angel  was  to  show  him  "things 
which  must  be  hereafter." 

Many  things  were  presented  to  the  mind  of  the 
apostle,  in  rapid  succession,  nnd  among  them  was  the 
lM-autifuIly  arrayed  woman  of  the  twelfth  chapter;  her 
decline,  chani:*'.  and  dispersion  into  the  "wilderness," 
when  darkness  and  gloom  settled  down  upon  the  great 
world.  Men  were  left  to  grope  their  way  without 
divine  aid  or  direction  ;  hence  the  reign  of  night  that 
ensued,  as  has  been  shown,  from  the  fifth  to  the  fifteenth 
centuries,  especially.  In  the  fourteenth  chapter  there 
is  presented  a  brighter  day  to  dawn,  when  light  would 
ppear  ;  so  we  read  :  — 


208  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

"  And  I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  hav- 
ing the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that  dwell  on  the 
earth,  and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people, 

"  Saying  with  a  loud  voice,  Fear  God,  and  give  glory  to  him; 
for  the  hour  of  his  judgment  is  come:  and  worship  him  that 
made  heaven,  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  the  fountains  of 
waters. 

"  And  there  followed  another  angel,  saying,  Babylon  is 
fallen,  is  fallen,  that  great  city,  because  she  made  all  nations 
drink  of  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  her  fornication." — Rev.  xiv. 
6,7,8. 

This  Babylon  "is  that  great  city,  which  reigneth 
over  the  kings  of  the  earth."  (Rev.  xvii.  18.)  It  is 
the  woman  that  had  the  "golden  cup  in  her  hand  full 
of  abominations  and  filthiness  of  her  fornication." 
(Rev.  xvii.  4.)  Indeed,  it  is  "MYSTERY,  BABYLON 
THE  GREAT,"  of  verse  5.  This  Babylon  is  to  fall  to 
rise  no  more  ;  and  it  is  written,  "  Rejoice  over  her,  thou 
heaven,  and  ye  holy  apostles  and  prophets."  (Rev. 
xviii.  20.)  Note,  that  just  before  the  downfall  of  Baby- 
lon, God  was  to  send  his  angel  from  heaven,  "having 
the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that  dwell 
on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and 
tongue,  and  people." 

This  "  everlasting  gospel  "  is  the  grand  old  Jerusalem 
gospel  that  was  preached  by  Jesus  and  the  apostles, 
pure  and  unsullied.  It  was  to  be  restored  to  earth  by 
an  angel  just  before  the  end  of  the  world,  or  the 
destruction  of  the  wicked,  and  in  time  for  it  to  be 
preached  ta  "  all  nations  "  before  the  second  coming  of 
the  Saviour,  As  one  of  the  signs  of  the  times  to  pre- 
cede his  coming,  Jesus  said  :  — 


PRKMM  \o    AND  I-KIKSTHOOD.  209 

"This  gospel  of  the  kin-dom  shall  he  preached  in  all  the 
world  lor  a  witness  unto  all  nations;   and  then  shall  the  end 
,e."  —  Matt.  xxiv.  11. 

It  is  clearly  indicated  from  this  that  it  was  foreseen 
that  there  would  be  a  departure  from  the  primitive 
faith  at  some  period  subsequent  to  the  death  of  the 
apostles  or  early  Christian  limes,  and  the  true  gospel 
ol.M-mvd  and  loM,  or  there  would  have  been  no  an- 
num that  (iod  would  send  his  angel  to  restore 
it.  !  tly  this  prediction  accords  with  thenar- 
rati\«-  %Lriven  of  tin-  angel's  visit  to  Mr.  Smith  !  He  was 
comman  join  none  of  the,  existing  sects.  They 
irere  all  out  of  the  way,  —  wrong.  "Their  creeds  are 
an  abomination  in  my  Mi'lit,"  said  the  Lord.  This  was 
the  hard  hit  in  the  anu^l'-  im-— age.  Sectarians,  as  such, 
like  tli.  oid.!«'wi>h  riiari>ces,  wanted  compliments  from 
the  Almighty  :  an  indorsement  of  their  institutions  and 
work.  The  an-ji •!'>  announcement  sent  consternation 
ami  di>may  into  their  ranks,  and  they  armed  for  a  con- 
lliet.  But  it  wax  the  dawn  before  the  day.  The  time 
had  come  when  there  should  be  a  shaking  among  the 
dry  bones,  and  the  creeds  were  to  go.  It  is  nothing 
new  to  read  of  >ome  one  rising  up  against  the  creeds 
nowadays,  and  denouncing  them  as  of  human  origin, 
and  faUe.  One  by  one  great  leaders  rise  up  and 
declare  them  to  he  '? yokes,"  " man-made,"  what  nobody 
brlievo,  and  a  "  reproach."  If  false,  added,  and  Icad- 
mir  to  division  and  di-cord,  then  God  is  not  the  author 
of  them,  hence  "abomination  in  his  sight."  The  fol- 
lowing confirms  this  position.  At  the  Episcopal  Con- 
\<  ution  held  at  New  York,  October  the  2d  and  5th, 


210  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

while  discussing  the  revision  of  the  Creed,  Rev.  J. 
J.  Vance,  of  Arkansas,  gave  expression  to  the  fol- 
lowing :  — 

"In  regard  to  the  Nicene  Creed,  it  is  not  the  creed  of  the 
church;  it  was  forced  upon  the  church  ~by  civic  power.  It  is  the 
Roman  Creed,  and  it  is  obligatory  on  us  just  as  much  as  the  creed 
of  the  infallibility  of  the  Pope.  Not  only  is  it  true  that  it  is  not 
the  Catholic  creed,  but  the  Church  of  England  and  the  Church 
of  America  do  not  call  it  the  Nicene  Creed. 

"  No  such  yoke  as  this  should  be  put  on  any  church  in  this  free 
country.  Is  the  Eeformation  complete  ?  Are  we  to  follow  the 
Church  of  England?  Are  we  in  this  land  of  religious  liberty 
to  follow  the  mother  (Koman  Catholic)  church?"  —Newark, 
New  Jersey,  News.  (S.  H.,  page  680.) 

Again :  — 

"  The  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  Van  Dyke  asks,  in  the  Presbyterian: 
1  Why  should  we  retain  in  our  creed  what  none  of  us  believe, 
what  all  our  teachers  of  theology  reject,  and  what  serves  only 
to  bring  reproach  upon  our  doctrine  among  them  that  are  with- 
out? '  "  —  S.  H.,  page  649. 

Philip  Schaff,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  in  speaking  concerning 
certain  things  contained  in.  the  Presbyterian  Creed, 
says :  — 

"  These  doctrines  are  no  longer  believed  by  a  majority  of 
Presbyterians,  nor  preached  by  any  Presbyterian  minister,  as 
far  as  I  know.  They  certainly  could  not  be  preached  in  any 
pulpit  without  emptying  the  pews.  .  .  .  "What  cannot  be 
preached  in  the  church  and  taught  in  the  Sunday  school,  ought 
not  to  be  put  into  a  Confession  of  Faith,  and  imposed  as  a 
yoke  upon  the  conscience  of  ministers  and  elders.  .  .  .  They 
will  in  future  prevent  many  promising  students  from  entering 
the  ministry,  and  intelligent  laymen  from  serving  as  elders,  so 
long  as  they  are  required  to  subscribe  to  that  document  as  '  con- 
taining the  system  of  doctrine  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.'  " 
—  Creed  Revision,  page  48. 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  211 

ain  :  — 

••  \NY  need  a  theology  and  a  confVsMon  that  is  more  human 

than   <  'alvini.sm,  more    divine    than    Arminianisin,  and   more 

i  and  catholic  than  eitln-r;  a  confession  .  .  .  that  will 

.  .   .  pn-pan-  the  way  for  the  <::  k  of   the  future,  —  the 

reunion*  udona  in  the  creed  of  (  h list." — Ibid.,  page  42. 

Sectarian-  themselves  being  the  judges,  "creeds" 
iTC  no  part  of  Christianity,  and  arc  not  believed  by 
tho-e  pi  lith  in  them.  They  are  getting  to 

be  an  "  abomination  "  in  the  sight  of  the  people,  those 
tradition* -«1  to  b.-lii've  them,  because  of  their  absurdity. 
U  then-  auvthiiiLr  >t  range,  then,  that  God,  in  order  to 

the-e  "yokes"  from  the  people's  necks,  should 
declare  to  Mr.  Smith,  upwards  of  fifty  years  ago,  that 
ho  had  no  delight  in  them?  Joseph  Smith  was  right  in 

ii-piratiou  and  announcement,  although  he  had  the 
uorld  to  combat.  Those  of  advanced  thought  now  sup- 
port the  truth  of  hi>  announcement  by  striking  at  the 
creed-  ihnn-rUr-.  Note  that  nothing  of  worth  among 
mm,  amonir  tin-  r«-!ormcrs,  among  those  contending 
>  and  the  riirlit,  was  denounced  by  the 

•I,  but  tin-  that  are  too  hard  and  incon- 

it  tor  the  Beetfl  to  believe  and  obey  themselves. 
r.ut  it  i-  not  ditiimlt  to  prove  them  all  to  be  wrong. 
\\  havr  dour  BO  iu  this  article.  The  continual  strife, 
sneering  and  contention  among  themselves  prove  them 
to  be  wrong;  and  the  further  proof,  as  predicted,  that 
it  would  become  nrrr»ary  for  God  to  send  his  angel  to 

i  in  oi«ler  to  set  up  the  truth,  shows  them  all  to  be 
out  of  the  way,  under  the  creeds,  and  directed  by  men 
onl 


212  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

It  is  a  fact,  then,  that  on  this  side  of  the  dark  day 
that  has  intervened  between  us  and  the  apostles,  Christ 
was  to  send  his  angel  to  earth,  and  commit  the  "ever- 
lasting gospel,"  precisely  as  claimed  by  Mr.  Smith  was 
revealed  to  him,  scoff  who  may.  The  angel  announced 
his  name,  Moroni.  He  said,  as  related  by  Mr.  Smith, 
"that  God  had  a  work  for  me  to  do,  and  that  my  name 
should  be  had  for  good  and  evil  among  all  nations,  kin- 
dreds, and  tongues." 

How  prophetic !  How  unlikely  at  that  time  that  it 
would  ever  be  fulfilled !  But  it  has  come  to  pass. 
That  fixes  it  as  from  God.  For  no  man  can  forecast 
the  future  of  his  own  wisdom. 

It  was  said,  "Those  professors  were  all  corrupt "  ;  but 
it  is  not  intended  by  this,  that  they  were  all  wicked  of 
heart  and  dishonest  of  purpose.  No  ;  their  creeds  had 
misled  them,  corrupted  their  judgments,  and  they  were 
being  guided  by  them  rather  than  walking  by  the  light 
of  the  word  of  God.  Like  the  old  Pharisees,  they 
"encompassed  sea  and  land  to  make  a  proselyte,  and 
when  he  is  made,  he  is  twofold  more  the  child  of  hell 
than  yourselves."  Why?  Because  he  was  now  creed- 
bound,  under  the  domination  of  a  system  invented  by 
men,  that  would  blind,  distort,  and  corrupt  the  judg- 
ment and  conscience,  and  lead  him  headlong  to  de- 
struction, —  following  dogmatically  and  persistently  in 
the  way  of  "blind  guides."  Creeds  lead  to  doubt, 
selfishness,  infidelity,  irreligion,  intolerance,  bigotry, 
disunion,  pious  frauds,  blindness,  bondage,  priestcraft, 
and  death.  No  wonder  they  are  denounced  as  "abom- 
inations" in  the  sight  of  God.  All  of  the  advanced 


AM>    1'KI  KSTI  !<>(  >l  >.  213 

thinkers,  tin*  world's  benefactors,  and  good  men  and 
:uv  iv.-hly  to  .\rlaiin,  "Hallelujah,  Amen  !  Let 

fnll,  to  rise  no  more;  but  we  will  hold  on  to  the 
word  of  God." 

it  her,  the  angel  also  made  mention  of  a  book  that 

wa>  to  l>e  associated  with  the  restoration  of  the  gospel, 

and  ihr  M-ninir  up  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  just  previ- 

•iie  eml  of  tin*  world,  or  second  coming  of  the 

Saviour. 

•  \\iih  in*-  now  to  the  twenty-ninth  chapter  of  the 
Book  of  Isaiah,  and  heirimi'mg  with  the  ninth  verse,  we 
road  :  — 

u  Stay  yourselves,  and  wonder;  cry  ye  out,  and  cry:  they  are 
•  Ininkrn,  but  not  with  wine;  they  stagger,  but  uot  with  strong 
drink. 

44  For  the  Lord  hath  poured  out  upon  you  the  spirit  of  deep 
sleep,  and  hath  closed  your  eyes:  the  prophets  and  your  rulers, 
the  seers  hath  he  cov< 

44  And  the  vision  of  all  is  become  unto  you  as  the  words  of  a 
book  that  is  sealed,  which  men  deliver  to  one  that  is  learned, 
saying,  Read  this,  I  pray  thee:  and  he  saith,  I  cannot;  for  it  is 
sealed: 

44  And  the  bo«»k  i-  delivered  to  him  that  is  not  learned,  say- 
ing, Read  tliis,  I  pray  th< c:  and  he  saith,  I  am  not  learned." 


II. -iv  ii  a  l>ook  ^poken  of  in  the  "Holy  Bible,  book 
divine/'  that  is  to  1x3  a  most  wonderful  book  when 
mat  1 1  is  called  "the  vision  of  all."  The  ivords 

<>f  this  hook  were  to  be  delivered  to  a  learned  man, 
with  the   request,  "Read   this,  I  pray  thee:    and   he 
saith,  I  cannot  ;  for  it  is  sealed/'     With  all  of  his  pro- 
•  d  wisdom  and  pride  of  knowing,  he  would  not  be 


214  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

able  to  decipher  its  contents.  To  him  it  was  to  be  a 
sealed,  locked  book. 

But  the  "book"  is  delivered  to  him  that  is  not 
learned,  saying,  "Read  this,  I  pray  thee  :  and  he  saith, 
I  am  not  learned."  Neither  the  learned  nor  the 
unlearned  are  masters  of  the  situation  here.  Both 
are  to  confess  their  inability  to  read  the  book. 

Now  this  event  was  to  take  place  at  a  time  when  the 
"spirit  of  deep  sleep"  would  be  poured  out  upon  men. 
When  they  would  be  "  drunken,  but  not  with  wine  ; 
they  stagger,  but  not  with  strong  drink."  What  is  the 
difficulty  with  them?  Answer:  they  are  blind  and 
groping,  and  staggering  their  way  —  among  the  creeds 
of  earth  —  in  spiritual  things;  blinded,  deceived,  and 
tossed  about  by  the  conflicting  opinions  of  men, — 
"winds  of  doctrine."  The  learning  of  men  is  all  they 
have  to  guide  them ;  and  these  construe  the  word  of 
God  to  cause  it  to  read  to  their  own  liking.  It  is  a 
time  when  there  are  to  be  no  "  seers  "  or  "  prophets  "  ; 
they  are  all  done  away,  in  the  opinion  of  this 
"drunken,"  blind,  and  staggering  people. 

What  is  to  be  done,  under  the  situation?  Who  is  to 
read  the  book?  These  drunken  and  sleepy  inhabitants 
of  earlh,  who  have  no  communion  with  God,  can  do 
nothing  with  it ;  neither  the  learned  nor  the  unlearned. 
Nevertheless,  it* is  to  form  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
setting  up  of  God's  latter-day  work. 

"Wherefore  the  Lord  said,  Forasmuch  as  this  people  draw 
near  me  with  their  mouth  [this  staggering,  drunken  people], 
and  with  their  lips  do  honor  me  [they  are  a  very  pious  people, 
however,  in  their  own  estimation,  —  church  going],  but  have 


MUS8IDKNOT   AND  I'KIKVI  IK >oi>.  215 

removed  tln-ir  h«  art  far  from  me,  and  their  fear  toward  me  is 
taught  by  th«-  pn •« ••  «pt  of  men  [nobody  believes  in*  or  receives 
divine  inspiration  or  guidance,  but  the  things  of  God  are  thought 
to  be  pointed  out  by  th  isdom,  of  men]:  therefore, 

behold,  I  will  proceed  to  do  a  marvellous  work  among  this  people 
[among  this  pious,  self-wise,  and  drunken  people,  who  deny 
revelation,  and  do  not  b»  li.-ve  in  *  prophets'  or  'seers'],  even  a 
marvellous  work  and  a  wonder:  for  the  wisdom  of  their  wise 
in.  n  >li;ill  perish,  and  the  understanding  of  their  prudent  men 
shall  bi-  bid."  —  Isa.  I  14. 

Thoro  were  to  ht»  railed  "  \\'IM«  "  and  ff  prudent"  men 
among  these  blind  and  .sta.irgrring  inhabitants.  But 
God  is  going  to  do  such  a  "  marvellous  work  "  among 
them  that  it  will  rrlipse  all  of  the  learning  and 
pretension  of  the  age.  I  !<•  ifl  noing  to  cause  to  be  read 
that  "Mtled  U>ok";  for  the  "deaf"  arr  to  " hear  the 
words  of  the  book,  and  the  ryes  of  the  blind  (by 
on  of  what  is  written  in  it;  >hall  see  out  of  obscur- 
ity and  out  of  darkness/'  Out  of  the  wilderness  and 
darkness  of  "mystery,  Babylon,"  and  the  conflicting 
creeds  and  doctrines  of  men.  (v.  18.)  For  they 
"  that  rrred  in  spirit  shall  come  to  understanding  [those 
who  had  iv,,  i\rd  a  faUe  spirit  for  the  true],  and  they 
that  murmmvd  shall  learn  doctrine."  (v.  24.)  Those 
•  have  l>een  led  by  the  doctrines  and  precepts  of 
mm  will  now  discover  their  mistake,  that  they  have 
l>cen  hlindrd  and  imposed  upon. 

But  how  will  God  proceed  to  perform  his  "marvel- 
lous work  and  a  wonder"  among  this  people?  He  will 
just  like  hiniM-lf,  and  it  is  written,  "  Surely  the 
.od  will  do  nothing,  but  he  revealcth  his  secret 
unto  his  servants  the  prophets."  (Amos  iii.  7.)  He 


216  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

will  do  that  which  will  confound  the  "  wise  "  and  the 
w  prudent " ;  cause  to  be  done  that  which  they  could  not 
do;  and  how?  He  will  take  the  man  that  is  "not 
learned"  and  inspire  him  to  read  the  "sealed  book." 
This  is  a  very  important  book,  and  contains  very  ex- 
cellent and  important  things,  or  the  Lord  would  not 
have  had  anything  to  do  with  it.  For  it  was  to  be 
connected  with  his  wrork  in  the  last  days.  The  time 
for  its  revealment  is  fixed.  So  we  read  :  — 

u  Is  it  not  yet  a  very  little  while,  and  Lebanon  shall  be  turned 
into  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  fruitful  field  shall  be  esteemed 
as  a  forest?  And  in  that  day  shall  the  deaf  hear  the  words  of 
the  book."  —  Isa.  xxix.  17,  18. 

What  day?  The  day  that  God  will  remove  the 
curse  from  the  land  of  Lebanon  or  Palestine  that  has 
been  so  long  upon  it,  and  restore  its  former  fertility, 
the  early  and  latter  rain.  That  has  been  done,  and, 
too,  since  the  revelation  of  the  "sealed  book."  It  was 
to  be  performed  in  "a  very  little  while  thereafter." 

Now  read  what  a  recent  traveller  has  said  about 
Lebanon,  or  the  land  of  Palestine  :  — 

"  I  arrived  in  Indiana  a  few  days  since,  from  the  Eastern 
Continent.  I  stopped  at  Joppa  nearly  the  whole  winter.  For 
my  part,  I  was  well  pleased  with  the  country.  It  is  certainly  a 
land  of  most  wonderful  fruitfulness,  with  a  delightsome  climate, 
producing  everything,  if  properly  cultivated,  and  from  two  to 
three  crops  in  a  year.  They  have  grain,  fruit,  and  vegetables 
all  the  year  round;  in  fact,  I  never  was  in  such  a  country  before. 
I  have  seen  much  good  country  in  Europe  and  America,  but 
none  to  compare  with  Palestine;  its  fruitfulness  is  uncommon, 
and  the  climate  the  most  delightsome;  even  in  winter  I  did  not 
see  the  least  sort  of  frost,  and  vegetables  of  every  sort  were 


PRESIDENCY    AND    1'IMKSTIIOOD.  217 

growing  in  perfection  in  their  gardens.  It  is  a  fact  that  the 
rain  and  dew  are  restored;  recently,  in  1S.V!,  the  former  and  the 
latter  rain  were  restored,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  natives." 

Jesus  said,  coneernini:  the  temple  that  stood  upon 

Mi .  .M.'i-iah,  in  lii>  day  :  — 

"  There  shall  not  be  left  one  stone  upon  another,  that  shall 

not  be  thrown  down.     Ami  they  [the  Jews]  shall  fall  by  the 

edge  of  the  sword,  be  ]••<!  away  captive  into  all  nations: 

aii'l  BO  shall  he  trodden  down  of  the  (ieniiles,  until  the 

<•!   ill,-  (,  .    fulfill.-,!."  — Luke  xxi.  (i,  iM. 

TIT;-  >ho\v-  that  a  Lrn-al  ealamity  was  to  befall  Jeru- 

:n  and  the. Jew-;   Mud  that  it  was  to  continue  until 

the  "timrs  of  the  (initiles  be  fulfilled."     Which  is  to 

say,  that    at    that    time  ( iod  would   make  a  change,  and 

nd  and  the  Jr\v>.      lint  before  all  this,  the 

"sealed  book  "  \va-    t«.  ]**   ivad,  and   in  ff  a  very  little 

while  w  Lclianon,  or  thr  paivhrd  land  of  Palestine,  was 

t.»  IM-  turned  into  a  "fruitful  field,"  and  soon  thereafter 

it  wa-  to  be  said,  ".laeol»  jheJews]  shall  not  now  be 

i.  neither  -hall  his   fan*  now  wax  pale."     (Isa. 

\.  22.) 

The  time  i.  fulfilled.  Pah-tine  i-  reviving,  budding, 
and  No— omini:,  :md  hearini:  fruit  in  abundance;  and 
Jaco  is  turninir  with  smiles  of  rejoicing  to  the 

land  of  his  fathers. 

M<^r-  wrote  <>f  .JoM-pli'-  land  and  that  of  his  pos- 
terity  as  follows  :  — 

"And  of  Joseph  h«-  said,  lilessed  of  the  Lord  he  his  land, 
for  the  precio:  n,  for  the  dew,  and  for  the  deep 

that  eonehrth  heneath, 

44  Andforthe  precion-  fniits  brought  forth  hy  the  sun,  and 
for  the  prerimi-  tilings  put  forth  by  the  moon, 


218  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

"And  for  the  chief  things  of  the  ancient  mountains,  and  for 
the  precious  things  of  the  lasting  hills, 

"And  for  the  precious  things  of  the  earth  and  fulness 
thereof,  and  for  the  good  will  of  him  that  dwelt  in  the  bush: 
let  the  blessing  come  upon  the  head  of  Joseph,  and  upon  the 
top  of  the  head  of  him  that  was  separated  from  his  brethren. 
.  .  .  They  are  the  ten  thousands  of  Ephraim,  and  they  are  the 
thousands  of  Manasseh."  —  Deut.  xxxiii.  13-17.  (See  Gen. 
xlviii.;  xlix.  22-26.) 

This  land  of  Joseph,  upon  which  the  great  latter- 
day  work  was  to  begin,  and  the  sealed  book  be  brought 
to  light,  was  descried  in  vision  and  announced  by 
Isaiah,  as  follows:  "Woe  to  the  land  shadowing  with 
wings,  which  is  beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethiopia."  (Isa. 
xviii."  1.)  That  is,  west  of  Northern  Africa  or  Ethi- 
opia, west  of  her  rivers,  and  still  farther  west  lie  the 
Americas,  stretched  out  amid  oceans  like  two  great 
wings.  He  goes  on  :  — 

"  All  ye  inhabitants  of  the  world,  and  dwellers  on  the  earth, 
see  ye,  when  he  lifteth  up  an  ensign  on  the  mountains;  and  when 
he  bloweth  a  trumpet,  hear  ye."  —  Isa.  xviii.  3. 

God's  "  ensign  "  is  the  gospel  banner.  All  the  world 
are  called  upon  to  behold  when  he  sets  it  up.  It  was 
to  be  established  as  the  "  marvellous  work  and  a  won- 
der," inaugurated  by  the  Almighty,  in  sending  his 
angel  to  restore  the  gospel  just  "afore  the  harvest" 
(v.  5),  or  end  of  the 'world. 

Again  Isaiah  says  :  — 

"  He  shall  set  up  an  ensign  for  the  nations,  and  shall  assem- 
ble the  outcasts. of  Israel,  and  gather  together  the  dispersed  of 
Judah  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth."  —  Isa.  xi.  12. 


l'i:i>ll>KNCY    AND    rill  l.STHOOD.  219 

ii-,  too,  was  to  precede  the  return  of  the  Jews  to 
their  ancient  home. 

Mr.  Smith  thru  reeeived    tho  right  messenger,  the 
(    message,   was  in  tho  right  place,   lived  in   the 
riirht    time,   :m<l    made    tin*    riizht    claim  to  fulfil  these 
prophreii--  in  the  work  that  he  did.     Under  the  move- 
ment   of   ihi-    "  marvellous   work    and   a  wonder, "  to 
rioufl    to    iv-tor'mi:    the    fertility  of  ancient 
Pal*  -tine,  and  aUo  rrstorinir  tlie  Jews  to  their  ancient 
homo,  God  was  to 

I'akdthe  stirk  of  Joseph,  which  is  in  the  hand  of  Ephraim, 
:iml  I  In-  trills  of  Israel  his  fellows,  and  will  put  them  with  him, 
even  with  tin-  -tick  of  .Jnd:ih.  and  make  them  one  stick,  and 
they  shall  be  one  in  mini;  hand."  —  K/.uk.  xxxvii.  19. 

This  "  stick  of  Joseph,  which  is  In  the  hand  of 
Kphraim,"  mntains  the  things  of  God  revealed  to 
Kphraim,  a>  the  stick  of  Judali  (tho  Bible)  contains 
the  things  of  God  revealed  to  Judah.  Ephraim  (and 
Manasseh)  was  to  dwell  to  "the,  utmost  hounds  of  the 
everlaMini:  hills,"  from  Palestine  or  Egypt.  (Gen. 
\li\.  26.  >  Thi-  brings  us  again  to  America,  Joseph's 
or  Kphraim's,  his  son's,  land.  Here  ho  was  to  dwell, 
and  of  course  here  his  record  would  be:  Mr.  Smith 
was  in  the  right  place,  and  proceeded  in  the  right 
way  in  order  to  get  it.  It  was  to  be  revealed  before 
the  return  of  the  Jews  to  their  promised  inheritance. 
(S«.  .  xxxvii.  20-28,  inclusive;  Ps.  Ixxxv.  8- 

:  Dent  \\xiii.  13-17;  Gen.  xlix.  22-26 ;  xlviii.  9- 
20.) 

It  was  to  come  out  of  the  earth.     (See  Ps.  Ixxxv. 

:    I     i.    \\i\.    J.) 


220  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

The  full  time  had  come  for  the  introduction  of  the 
dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times  that  is  to  ultimate 
in  the  return  of  the  Saviour  to  the  world  ;  hence  he  sent 
his  angel  to  reveal  the  w  everlasting  gospel  "  (Rev.  xiv. 
6),  to  be  preached  to  all  nations  preparatory  to  that 
event.  Mr.  Smith  testified  truly,  then,  when  he  said 
that  God  sent  his  angel  unto  him  to  enlighten  him  con- 
cerning these  things.  He  also  testified  truly  when  he 
affirmed  that  there  was  committed  unto  him  the"C7n'm 
and  Thummim"  as  a  means  by  which  he  might  translate 
the  "sealed  book"  to  the  confounding  and  bringing  to 
naught  the  wisdom  of  the  wise. 

God  says,  "  I  will  proceed  to  do  a  marvellous  work." 
Hitherto  people  did  not  believe  that  he  could  work 
"marvellously,"  miraculously,  any  more. 

But  Mr.  Smith  might  have  received  the  visitation  of 
angels,  discovered  the  "sealed  book"  and  been  able  to 
translate  it,  and  yet  not  have  been  qualified  to  build  up 
the  church  of  God,  or  even  to  preach  and  administer 
the  gospel.  Hence  it  is  necessary  to  carry  our  inquiries 
further,  in  order  to  determine  the  manner  of  the  rise 
and  founding  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
Day  Saints. 

Mr.  Smith  proceeds  with  his  account  as  follows  :  — 
"We  still  continued  the  work  of  translation  (the 
'sealed  book'  by  the  aid  of  the  Urim  and  Tlium- 
mim)  when,  in  the  ensuing  month  we,  on  a  cer- 
tain day,  went  into  the  woods  to  pray  and  inquire 
of  the  Lord  respecting  baptism  for  the  remission  of 
sins,  as  we  found  mentioned  in  the  translation  of  the 
plates.  While  we  were  thus  employed,  praying  and 


llM-lhl   V  Y     AM)    TKIKSTHOOD.  221 

calling  upon  the  Lord,  a  messenger  from  heaven  de- 
tici-ntlfil  in  a  cl'*ml  of  //;////,  and  having  1<i!tl  ///x  htnnl* 
upon  ti*f  he  <)i:i)\iNKi)  us,  -aying  unto  us,  'Upon  you, 
my  fellow-*  in  tin*  name  of  Messiah,  I  confer  the 

priesthood  of  Aaron %  which  holds  the  keys  of  the  min- 
istering of  angels,  and  of  the  gospel  of  repentance,  and 
of  baptism  by  immersion  for  the  remission  of  sin ; 
and  this  shall  never  be  taken  airain  from  tho  earth  until 
the  sons  of  Le\i  do  oiler  airain  an  ollering  unto  the 
Lord  in  riirhteoiiMir^.  He  >aid  the  A  a  ronic  priesthood 
had  not  the  po\\.-r  of  la\  imr  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Gho-t,  hut  that  this  >hould  he  conferred  onus 
hrivat'trr,  and  he  comindn'1'  <l  us  to  1:0  and  he  baptized, 
and  gave  us  directions  that  I  should  baptize  Oliver 
Cowdivy,  Miid  afterwards  that  he  should  baptize  me. 

"Accordingly  we  went  and  were  baptized  ;  I  baptized 
him  tii-i,  and  afterwards  he  baptized  me;  after  which 
I  laid  my  ban.U  upon  his  head  and  ordained  him  to  the 
»nic  priesthood;  afterwards  he  laid  his  hands  on 
me  and  ordained  me  to  the  same  priesthood,  for  so  we 
were  commanded. 

"The  messenger  who  visited  us  on  this  occasion, 
and  conferred  this  priesthood  upon  us,  said  that  his 
name  was  John,  the  same  that  is  called  John  the 
Baptist  in  the  New  Testament,  and  that  he  acted  under 
the  direction  of  Peter,  James,  and  John,  who  held  the 
I  of  the  priesthood  of  Melchisedec,  which  priesthood 
should  in  due  time  be  conferred  on  us,  and  that  I 
should  l>e  called  the  first  elder  and  he  the  second.  It 
was  on  the  l.'.th  day  of  May,  1829,  that  we  were 
baptized,  and  ordainc-d  by  the  hand  of  the  messenger." 


222  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

Oliver  Cowdrey  writes  of  this  event  as  follows : 
"  On  a  sudden,  as  from  the  midst  of  eternity,  the  voice 
of  the  Redeemer  spake  peace  to  us,  while  the  veil  was 
parted,  and  the  angel  of  God  came  down  clothed  with 
glory,  and  delivered  the  anxiously  looked  for  message, 
and  the  keys  of  the  gospel  of  repentance.  What 
joy  !  What  wonder  !  What  amazement !  While  the 
world  was  racked  and  distracted,  while  millions  were 
groping,  as  the  blind  for  the  wall,  and  while  all  men 
were  resting  upon  uncertainty,  as  a  general  mass,  our 
eyes  beheld,  our  ears  heard.  As  in  the  blaze  of  day, 
yes,  more,  above  the  glitter  of  the  May  sunbeam, 
which  then  shed  its  brilliancy  over  the  face  of  nature  ! 
Then  his  voice,  though  mild,  pierced  to  the  centre,  and 
his  words,  'I  am  thy  fellow-servant,'  dispelled  every 
fear.  We  listened,  —  we  gazed,  —  we  admired  !  'T  was 
the  voice  of  the  angel  from  glory  ;  't  was  a  message  from 
the  Most  High  !  And  as  we  heard  we  rejoiced,  while  his 
love  enkindled  upon  our  souls,  and  we  were  rapt  in  the 
vision  of  the  Almighty  !  Where  was  room  for  doubt? 
Nowhere  ;  uncertainty  had  fled,  doubt  had  sunk,  no  more 
to  rise,  while  fiction  and  deception  had  fled  forever. 

"But,  dear  brother,  think,  further  think  for  a 
moment,  what  joy  filled  our  hearts,  and  with  what 
surprise  we  must  have  bowed  (for  who  would  not  have 
bowed  the  knee  for  such  a  blessing)  when  we  received 
under  his  hands  the  holy  priesthood,  as  he  said,  'Upon 
you,  my  fellow-servants,  in  the  name  of  Messiah,  I 
confer  this  priesthood,  and  this  authority,  which  shall 
remain  upon  earth,  that  the  sons  of  Levi  may  yet  offer 
an  offering  unto  the  Lord  in  righteousness.'" 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  223 

What  a  "marvellous  work,"  sure  enough  !  What  a 
"  \\  .mdrr  "  !  What  a  breaking  away  from  old  sectarian 
m< -tho(U  ami  ways  !  What  a  contrast  with  the  church 
building  by  men,  where  all  is  assumption,  human, 
uncertainty,  and  doubt  !  What  a  lesson  to  proud  men, 
vain  I  masters  find  doubters,  that  there  is  a  God  in 
hravni  who  rcvealeth  secrets,  and  that  he  will  do  his 
work  in  In-  o\\  n  way  !  There  is  nothing  new,  however, 
in  this  display  of  light  and  glory  as  such.  It  is  only 
<;<».!'-  way  of  doing.  lie  but  acted  like  himself;  as 
in  the  days  of  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  John  the  Bap- 
tUt,  the  apostles,  and  Christ.  While  the  world  was 
bring  tossed  about  with  conflicting  opinions  and  creeds, 
he  condescended  to  reveal  himself  by  the  hand  of  an 
angel  of  li-ht.  lint  tlinr  is  nothing,  in  this  great 
revelation,  of  the  Congregational ist  self-appointment 
the  mini-try,  and  rlmivh  building;  nothing  of  the 
,nge  deflect  ion  and  assumption,  "If  we  have  authority 
/<//,  wr  have  authority  to  baptize  ";  nothing  of 
building  a  church  on  the"  Bible-  and  Bible  alone  ";  noth- 
ing of  thr  tamr  uncertainty  of,  "We  are  but  a  band 
of  brrthivn,  having  a  form  of  godliness,  and  seeking 
thr  power  " ;  no  transmitted  authority  from  papal  Rome, 
or  the  Roman  Catholic  hierarchy,  or  the  discordant 
:  nothing  from  old  "mystery,  Babylon";  noth- 
of  a  Baptist  " chain/'  or  Episcopalian  " meshes " 
claim  of  a  transmission :  but  in  the  quiet  resort  of 
a  stately  forest,  —  nature's  solemn  temple,  —  where 
purity  and  innocence  reign  complete,  and  naught  but 
growing  leaf  and  blooming  flower  might  disturb  the 
deep  devotions  and  peace  of  prayer  of  men  of  faith, 


224  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

an  angel  of  glory,  —  sent  by  Jesus,  — under  the  direc- 
tion of  Peter,  James,  and  John,  to  whom  was  com- 
mitted the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  days 
of  old,  —  in  the  blaze  of  day,  —  wends  his  way  to 
earth,  and  conferred  with  his  own  pure  hands  and 
divinely  uttered  words  the  priesthood, — long  since 
lost,  taken  to  heaven,  as  represented  by  the  man-child 
of  Rev.  xii.,  —  and  thus  authorized  men,  once  more,  to 
preach  the  gospel  and  baptize  in  the  name  of  Messiah, 
authoritatively,  and  lay  the  foundation  of  this  church 
and  kingdom  of  God  in  these  last  days. 

John  the  Revelator  had  the  right  view  of  the 
matter :  "  I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of 
heaven,  having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto 
them  that  dwell  on  the  earth."  That  angel  has  come. 
He  conferred  upon  these  men  the  Aaronic  priesthood. 
In  due  time  the  Melchisedec  priesthood  also  was  con- 
ferred, and  on  Tuesday,  the  6th  day  of  April,  1830, 
the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  was  regularly  organized. 
The  following  is  written  concerning  its  rise  :  — 

"The  rise  of  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  in  these  last  days, 
being  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty  years  since  the 
coming  of  our  Lord,  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  in  the  flesh,  it 
being  regularly  organized  and  established  agreeably  to  the  laws 
of  our  country,  by  the  will  and  commandments  of  God  in  the 
fourth  month,  and  on  the  sixth  day  of  the  month  which  is 
called  April,  which  commandments  were  given  to  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  who  was  called  of  God  and  ordained  an  apostle  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  be  the  first  elder  of  this  church;  and  Oliver  Cowdrey, 
who  was  also  called  of  God  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  the 
second  elder  of  this  church,  and  ordained  under  his  hand."  — 
Covenants  and  Commandments,  Sec.  17,  Par.  1. 


PRKMMAO      AM)     1'Ul  KSTHOOD.  225 

KurthiT,  roiK-rrniiiir  tin*  prir>thood,  it  is  written:  — 

\nd  also  with  IVter,  and  James,  and  John,  whom  I  have 
sent  unto  you,  by  whom  I  have  ordained  you  and  confirmed 
you  to  be  apostles  ami  especial  witnesses  of  my  name, and  bear 
tin  keys  of  your  ministry;  and  of  the  same  things  which  I 
reveah-.l  unto  them,  unto  whom  I  have  committed  the  keys  of 
my  kiii-.l.'m,  ami  a  dispensation  of  lh«  Lr<>-pel  for  the  last  time; 
ami  for  the  fulness  of  times,  in  the  which  I  will  Anther  together 
in  one  all  thing*,  both  which  an-  in  heaven  and  which  are  on 
earth."  —  Covenants  an  ;«mimento,  Sec.  26,  Tar.  3. 

Again  :  — 

44  And  now,  behold,  there  are  others  who  are  called  to  declare 
my  gospel,  both  unto  the  (ientile  and  unto  the  Jew;  yea,  even 
twelve,  and  the  twelve  shall  be  my  disciples,  and  they  shall  take 
upon  thnn  my  nanu*.  .  .  .  They  are  called  to  go  into  all  the 
world  t"  pita,  h  my  gospel  uni  creature,  and  they  are 

\\hoaie  onlained  of  me  to  hapti/e  in  my  name  according 

a    which    i-    written \nd  now  I  speak  unto  the 

tweh  la  sutlicicnt  for  you:  you  must  walk 

htly  before  me,  and  sin  not.  And  behold,  you  are  they 
\\  ho  arc  onlaine.l  of  me  to  ordain  priests  and  teachers  to  declare 
my  gospel,  according  to  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is 
in  you,  and  according  to  the  calling  and  gifts  of  God  unto  men; 
ami  I  hri>t,  your  Lord  and  your  God,  have  spoken  it." - 

Covenants  and  Gominamlmcnts,  Sec.  1C,  Par.  6. 

Thus  the  Mrlrhisodec  and  the  Aaronic  priesthoods 
\\.iv  runfrnv.l  nn  men,  and  they  authorized  to  preach 
the  ^rn-jM'l  and  bapii/<!  th<»o  who  accepted  Christ  and 
hi-  <lurtrmr  ;  and  in  process  of  time,  the  church  was 
fully  organized,  by  the  appointment  and  ordination  of 
IIH  11  to  the  several  offices  of  the  priesthood,  in  harmony 
with  thr  pattern  given  in  the  New  Testament  of  the 
•  IMmn'iit  of  the  church,  by  Christ  and  the  apostles, 
at  Jerusalrm,  with  — 


226  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

(1.)  A  chief  apostle  and  high  priest,  with  two  asso- 
ciate counsellors. 

(2.)    A  quorum  of  twelve  apostles. 

(3.)    Seventy  elders. 

(4.)    Elders. 

(5.)    Bishops. 

(6.)    Priests. 

(7.)    Teachers. 

(8.)    Deacons. 

(9.)  High  priests,  evangelists,  and  pastors,  in  their 
proper  places  and  order. 

The  ministry  of  this  church  were  commissioned  as 
follows :  — 

"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  whatsoever  place  ye  cannot 
go  into,  ye  shall  send,  that  the  testimony  may  go  from  you  into 
all  the  world,  unto  every  creature.  And  as  I  said  unto  mine 
apostles,  even  so  I  say  unto  you;  for  you  are  mine  apostles,  even 
God's  high  priests;  ye  are  they  whom  my  Father  hath  given 
me;  ye  are  my  friends;  therefore,  as  I  said  unto  mine  apostles, 
I  say  unto  you  again,  that  every  soul  who  belie veth  on  your 
words  and  is  baptized  by  water  for  the  remission  of  sins,  shall 
receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that 
believe. 

"In  my  name  they  shall  do  many  wonderful  works;  in  my 
name  they  shall  cast  out  devils;  in  my  name  they  shall  heal  the 
sick;  in  my  name  they  shall  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  and 
unstop  the  ears  of  the  deaf;  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  shall 
speak;  and  if  any  man  shall  administer  poison  unto  them,  it 
shall  not  hurt  them;  and  the  poison  of  the  serpent  shall  not 
have  power  to  harm  them.  But  a  commandment  I  give  unto 
them,  that  they  shall  not  boast  themselves  of  these  things, 
neither  speak  them  before  the  world:  for  these  things  are  given 
unto  you  for  your  profit  and  for  salvation. 

"  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  they  who  believe  not  on 


l'i;i>IHKNCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  227 

your  words,  and  are  not  bapti/.ed  in  water,  in  my  name,  for  the 
-sion  of  their  it  they  may  receive  the  Holy  Ghost, 

shall  be  damned,  and  shall  not  come  into  my  Father's  kingdom, 
where  my  Father  and  I  am.  And  this  revelation  unto  you,  and 
commandment,  is  in  force  from  this  very  hour  upon  all  the 
world."  —  Covenant*  and  C'cmmum/meute,  Sec.  83,  Pars.  10, 
11,  1± 

Again,  to  Sidney  Rigdon  :  — 

'•Thou  didst  baptize  by  water  unto   repentance,  but  they 

received  not  the  Holy  Ghost;  but  now  I  ^ive  unto  thee  a  com- 

mandment that   thou  shai;  t>y   \\at.-r,  and  they  shall 

.  .«•  tin   II.'i\  (.host  by  tin  laying  on  of  the  hands."  —  Cove- 

nants and  Commandments,  Sec.  34,  Par.  2. 


How  this  riiiLr>  likr  tin-  oM  -..-j..-!  <>f  IVntecost  day, 
win  n  Peter  said  :  — 

u  Repent,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  von  in  the  name  of 
<  hrist  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  \  «  .shall  receive  the 
f  the  Holy  Ghost. 

44  For  the  promise  is  unto  you,  and  to  your  children,  and  to 
all  that  arc  afar  off,  even  a-  many  a-  tin-  Lord  our  God  shall 
call."  —  Actaii.  3K 

And  tin-  mamirr  <,f  Paul  :  — 

4-  When  they  heard  this,  tin  -y  were  baptized  in  the  name  of 
tin  Ix>rd  Jesus. 

"And  when  Paul  had  laid  his  hands  upon  them,  the  Holy 
Ghost  came  on  them;  and  they  -pake  with  tongues,  and  prophe- 
Vcts  xix.  5,  G. 

And  the  statement  of  Jesus  :  — 

"  And  he  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature. 

44  He  that  1»  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved:  but  he 

that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned. 


228         PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

"  And  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe;  In  my  name 
shall  they  cast  out  devils;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues; 

"  They  shall  take  up  serpents;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly 
thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick, 
and  they  shall  recover.''  —  Mark  xvi.  15,  16,  17,  18. 

The  grand  old  Christian  test,  given  by  Jesus,  has 
come  again,  as  follows  :  — 

"  My  doctrine  is  not  mine,  but  his  that  sent  me. 

"  If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine, 
whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  of  myself."  — 
John  vii.  16, 17. 

This  church  has  thus  been  established  by  the  will 
and  commandment  of  God,  and  the  administration  of 
angels,  and  the  gift  and  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
in  these  last  days,  and  its  ministry  has  been  authorized 
and  commissioned,  as  the  apostles  and  saints  in  days 
of  old,  to  preach  the  gospel  "to  every  nation,  and 
kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  under  the  whole 
heaven";  and  the  voice  of  warning  is  to  all  men, 
Eepent,  repent,  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord  is  nigh, 
and  the  hour  of  God's  judgment  is  at  hand  !  Repent, 
and  believe  the  gospel.  Read,  test,  and  be  convinced. 

This  church,  in  its  great  outlines  and  chief  doc- 
trines, is  in  harmony  with  God's  order  of  government, 
although  in  conflict  with  that  of  men.  Hence,  the 
world  is  moved  with  derision,  and  the  devil  has  been 
enraged  against  it  ever  since  its  very  inception,  the 
same  cause  producing  the  same  effect.  From  first  to 
last,  Satan  has  been  on  hand  with  his  old  tactics,  scorn- 
ing even-handed  justice  and  fairness.  He  said  of 


PRESIDENCY    AND    H;i  KSTHOOD.  229 

Je8iis,wHe  is  :i  wine-bibber,"  a  " glutton,"  a  "friend  of 
publirans  and  sinners";  "casts  out  devils  by  Beelze- 
bub, the  pr'mrr  of  devils wj  an  enemy  of  the  state,  a 
ii\;il  <»f  <  I  a i  1,  This  sect  was  everywhere 

spoken  against.*9  Deri-ion,  vituperation,  misrepresen- 
tation, slander,  opprobrium,  persecution,  intolerance, 
and  death  were  the  weapons  used  against  the  truth  in 
the  time  of  the  Saviour  and  the  apostles,  in  order  to 
blind,  rorrupt.  and  mi-lead  the  people.  It  was  success- 
ful in  rout  rolling  thr  masses  until  they  nailed  Jesus  to 
the  Of00§,  >la\vd  the  apo-tles  and  thousands  of  the 
>aint>,  \vlio  at  the  >ame  time  thought  they  were  doing 
God's  service.  Jesus  said,  "  lie  that  is  of  God,  heareth 
God's  word."  Hut  that  blind,  professedly  pious,  intol- 
i,  and  im-odly  mass  of  humanity  did  not  want  any 
word  of  God.  They  wanted  their  own  way  ;  and  they 
"cried  out  all  at  oooe,  -ay  ing,  Away  with  this  man, 
and  release  unto  us  Barabbas,"  the  thief.  Anybody 
but  the  good. 

Reader,  this  gives  you  a  clear  insight  into  the  methods 
and  tactics  usrd  by  the  opposers  of  the  truth,  whether 
by  vain  men  or  devils,  and  you  need  not  be  blinded, 
>yed,  or  led  thereby.  So  that  when  you  hear  men 
tli-riding,  slandering,  misrepresenting,  persecuting,  and 
saying  all  manner  of  evil  against  the  church  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  chief  instruments  that  God  used  in 
founding  it,  do  not  l>e  dismayed  or  alarmed,  as  though 
some  new  thing  had  appeared.  It  is  the  old  enemy 
of  the  truth  come  again.  His  weapons  are  the  same  ; 
he  ha-  no  better  to  use.  He  dare  not  appeal  to  what  is 
\\rittcn,  —  the  word  of  God,  —  because  his  is  a  lost 


230  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

cause  when  he  attempts  that.  To-day,  as  of  old,  "  He 
that  is  of  God,  heareth  God's  word."  "  Come  and  let  us 
reason  together."  "To  the  law  and  to  the  testimony  : 
if  they  speak  not  according  to  this  word,  it  is  because 
there  is  no  light  in  them."  (Tsa.  viii.  20.)  "As  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to 
them."  (Jesus.)  God  is  ever  the  same,  — true,  toler- 
ant, and  considerate.  Men,  too,  are  always  the  same, 
—  proud,  full  of  malice,  jealousy,  revenge,  and  hate; 
lovers  of  themselves  more  than  lovers  of  God. 

But  some  professedly  pious  person,  or  blind  guide, 
exclaims,  "Joseph  Smith  was  a  bad  man.  We  have 
heard  it." 

Indeed,  some  one  has  spoken  evil  of  all  good  and 
great  men  ;  sometimes  from  a  just  cause,  and  sometimes 
from  no  incentive  at  all  but  their  own  innate  meanness, 
jealousy,  and  superstitions.  Does  any  one  refuse  to 
read  the  books  of  Psalms  and  Proverbs  because  David 
and  Solomon  did  wicked  things?  or  the  Pentateuch, 
because  Moses  went  so  far  astray  that  the  Lord  would 
not  permit  him  to  cross  over  Jordan  into  the  promised 
land?  or  the  New  Testament,  because  Peter  cursed  and 
swore,  and  Paul  and  Barnabas  engaged  in  an  alterca- 
tion, and  the  saints  were  "  spoken  against  everywhere  "  ? 
Do  any  refuse  to  unite  with  the  great  and  powerful 
organizations  of  Protestant  sects,  because  of  what  their 
enemies,  as  well  as  their  friends,  say  of  their  leaders 
or  chief  men?  or  what  is  before  all  eyes,  the  wicked 
ways  of  many  of  their  chief  pastors  ? 

Here  is  a  Roman  Catholic  view  of  Protestant  reform- 
ers in  general :  — 


I'KKSIDENCY    AM)    I'KIKSTHOOD.  231 

do  Luther  and  Calvin,  and  Zwinglius  and  Knox,  and 
_:hth,  compaiv  with  these  genuine  and  saintly 
mere    [Roman   <  'atholic  churchmen,  popes,  etc.,  Charles 
:  omco,  Bartholomew,  Ignatius  of  Loyola,  Alphonsus,  and 
•i-ri],  bothaa  to  their  nmral  character  and  the  fruit  of 
labors?    The  private  lives  of  these  pseudo-reformers  were 
stained  by  cruelty,  rapine,  ami  licnitiousness;  and  as  the  result 
i'n.pairsindiMM,  history  records  civil   wars,  and  blood- 
shed, and  1'it  ...us  Mrifi;,  and   the  dismemberment  of 
( 'In -i-iianity  into  a  thousand  sects."  —  The  Faithofour  Fathers, 
by  (                              R8,  page  47. 

u  Luther  and  his  colleagues,  Melanchthon  and  Bucer,  per- 
inittr.l  Philip,  landgrave  of  Hesse,  to  have  two  wives  at  the 
same  time. 

44  K  .  another  German  reformer,  justified  polygamy." 

'h  of  our  Fattiers,  page  430. 

Those  who  arc  inclined  to  judge  others  by  public 
rumor,  and  what  their  enemies  say  of  them,  rather 
than  l>y  a  considerate  and  just  judgment,  can  be 
profited  l>v  readini:  the  following,  as  expressive  of  the 
estimate  put  on  the  Christians  and  the  Christian  religion 
I iy  the  popular  masses  and  powerful  organizations,  at 
tht  Ix-ginning  of  the  second  century  of  the  Christian 


44 1  never  had  the  misfortune  to  be  present  at  any  examina- 
tinn  of  Christians  before  I  came  into  this  province.  I  am  there- 
fore at  a  loss  to  determine  what  is  the  usual  object  of  inquiry 
or  punishment,  and  to  what  length  either  of  them  is  to  be  car- 
It  has  also  been  with  me  a  question  very  problematical, 
whether  any  distinction  should  be  made  between  the  young  and 
tin  ,,i,i.  tli.  trnd.-r  and  the  robust;  whether  any  room  should 
be  given  for  repentance,  or  the  guilt  of  Christianity  once 
incurred  is  not  to  be  expiated  by  the  unequivocal  retraction. 
.  .  I  rusk  them  whether  they  are  Christians.  If  they  plead 
guilty  I  interrogate  them  twice  afresh,  with  a  menace  of  capita 


232  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

punishment.  In  case  of  obstinate  perseverance,  I  order  them 
to  be  executed.  For  of  this  I  had  no  doubt,  whatever  was  the 
nature  of  their  religion,  that  a  sullen  and  obstinate  inflexibility 
called  for  the  vengeance  of  the  magistrate.  Some  were  affected 
with  the  same  madness,  whom,  on  account  of  their  citizenship, 
I  reserved  to  be  sent  to  Eome,  to  your  tribunal.  .  .  .  And  this 
was  the  account  which  they  gave  of  the  nature  of  their  religion 
they  once  had  professed,  whether  it  deserves  the  name  of 
crime  or  error;  namely,  that  they  were  accustomed  on  a  stated 
day  to  meet  before  daylight,  and  to  repeat  amon  *  themselves  a 
hymn  to  Christ,  as  to  a  god.  .  .  .  After  which  it  was  their  cus- 
tom to  separate,  and  meet  again  at  a  promiscuous,  harmless 
meal.  ...  I  forbade  any  societies  of  that  sort.  .  .  .  On  which 
account  I  judged  it  the  more  necessary  to  inquire,  by  torture, 
from  two  females,  who  were  said  to  be  deaconesses,  what  is  the 
real  truth;  but  nothing  could  I  collect  except  a  depraved  and 
excessive  superstition.  Deferring,  therefore,. any  further  investi- 
gation, I  determined  to  consult  you.  For  the  number  of  cul- 
prits is  so  great  as  to  call  for  serious  consultation. 

u  Many  persons  are  informed  against,  of  every  age  and  of 
both  sexes;  and  more  still  will  be  in  the  same  situation.  The 
contagion  of  the  superstition  hath  spread,  not  only  through 
cities,  but  even  villages  in  the  country."  —  C.  Pliny  to  Trajan, 
Emperor. 

"  These  people  must  not  be  sought  after.  If  they  are  brought 
before  you  and  convicted,  let  them  be  capitally  punished;  yet 
with  this  restriction,  if  any  one  renounce  Christianity,  and  evi- 
dence his  sincerity  by  supplicating  our  gods,  however  suspected 
he  may  be  for  the  past,  he  shall  obtain  pardon  for  the  future  on 
his  repentance."  —  The  Emperor  Trajan  to  Pliny. 

The  Emperor,  Antoninus  Pius,  wrote  A.  D.  140  to  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  Asia:  "But  you  harass  and  vex  the  Christians, 
and  accuse  them  of  atheism  and  other  crimes,  which  you  can 
by  no  means  prove.  To  them  it  appears  an  advantage  to  die 
for  their  religion." 

"  Tacitus  had  the  common  feeling  about  Christianity  as  a 
destructive  superstition,  and  about  Christians  as  undeserving  of 
mercy."  —MARSH'S  Ecclesiastical  History,  page  167. 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  233 

Tertullian  says  :  — 

k  \\Tiat  are  we  to  think  of  it,  that  most  people  so  blindly  knock 

their  heads  against  the  hatred  of  the  Christian  name,  that  when 

<timony  to  any  one,  they  mingle  with  it 

abuse  of  tin'  name  ho  bears?    'A  good  man,'  says  one,  Ms 

:!i;it  ho  is  a  Christian.'    So  another,  '  I  am 

astonished  that  a  wis<>  man   like  Lucius  should  have  become 

•iMian.'"  :/'/.  rliap.  III.,  Vol.  III.,  Anti-Nicene 

A;rain,  it  i-  -aid  :  — 

"Tin-  <  hri-ti:m>  wnv  denounced  as  the  common  enemies 
nt   in;inkin  1.  in-d  looked  upon  them  with  contempt  as 

a  vulgar  throng  of  deluded  enthusiasts,"  etc. 

Such,  00061   was  the  opinion  of  the  great  and  gay 

Id    of    riiri-tianity    ami    Christians.     This    should 
< Million  u-  u.»t  I  i|>on  any  people  or  their  claims 

ha-tily,  lmt,  after  makinir  diliircnt  inquiry  as  to  the 
facts  ot*  their  rlaiins,  then  pass  a  considerate  and  just 
judgment. 

Tin-  common  prnvrrh,  "Those  who  live  in  glass 
houses  should  no;  r.-mt  stones,"  ought  to  admonish 
sonic  pcoplr  n,. i  to  1x5  in  too  much  haste  in  scorning 
rini«l«'iiininiir  others,  and  unheard.  Rant,  slur, 
and  opprolirium  arc  no  arguments  for  or  against  any- 
thing or  anybody  luit  tho-(»  who  deal  in  them. 

i  ot  oiii  IT.HM!  Mr.  Wesley  it  is  related  that 

44  He  was  accused  of  diverting  the  people  from  labor  (while 

laboring  as  a  missionary  at  Savannah,  Ga.),  of  fomenting  divis- 

;md  unwarranted  ecclesiastical  authority. 

in  t  towards  a  oiccc  of  one  of  the  principal  settlers  (a 

hi-lily  rosontrd  hy  her  friends.    Thirteen 

in.li  for  siHr^-d  ntTenccs,  were  found  against  him;  but 

O  — I  -A  J  J    /          O 


234  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

before  the  time  of  trial  he  returned  to  England  (left  under 
cover  of  his  friends  at  night),  and  there  for  many  years  pur- 
sued a  successful  and  distinguished  career  of  piety  and  use- 
fulness."— History  of  the  United  States,  by  WILEY,  published 
in  1830,  in  New  York. 

With  so  much  to  admonish,  and  this  is  not  a  tithe 
that  has  been  said,  both  of  the  great  reformers  and 
chief  reformed  churches,  the  most  superstitious,  illiter- 
ate, and  prejudiced  of  persons  should  be  moved  to  act 
upon  the  Christian  virtues  of  fairness  and  justness 
toward  poor  Mr.  Smith,  and  judge  him  according  to 
the  facts  of  history,  as  manifest  in  his  life  and  work, 
written,  not  altogether  by  his  enemies,  but  by  his  friends, 
also.  Judge  him  according  to  the  principles,  doctrine, 
and  faith  which  he  announced.  The  work  that  he  did 
is  the  only  apology  he  needs.  His  whole  life  shone 
with  a  lustre  of  morality,  purity,  and  devotion  to 
truth  equal  to,  not  to  say  in  advance  of,  the  most 
perfect  and  upright  of  the  reformers  of  worldly  fame 
and  honor.  Let  us  be  fair  and  just,  then,  and  accept 
the  exhortation,  "Prove  all  things  ;  hold  fast  that  which 
is  good." 

Take  warning,  dear  reader,  and  pursue  a  steady, 
unbiased  course  in  the  search  for  knowledge.  It  will 
make  you  free. 

In  confirmation  of  the  declared  purpose  of  the 
Almighty  to  establish  a  marvellous  work  among  men, 
and  publish  the  gospel  to  the  nations  just  previous  to 
the  Saviour's  coming,  or  in  the  last  days,  we  cite  the 
statements  of  some  of  the  most  eminent  Bible  students 
and  divines  of  modern  times. 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  235 

Said  Roger  Williams  :  — 

"  I  I  that  the  apostasy  of  antichrist  hath  so  far  cor- 

rupted all,  that  there  can  be  no  recovery  out  of  that  apostasy, 
till  Christ  shall  send  forth  new  apostles  to  plant  churches  anew." 

Mr.  Alexander  Campbell  exclaimed  :  — 

"At  eveninu'  time  tin-re  shall  he  li-_:ht.    The  primitive  gospel, 
in  ii  MT  and  power,  is  yet  to  shine  out  in  its  original 

ndor  to  regenerate  the  world.  " 


Mr.  John  Wr-lry  \\rotr  Rfl  io||o\v>  :  — 

"The  times  that  we  have  reason  to  helieve  are  at  hand  —  if 

they  are  not  already  hfgun  —  are  what  many  pious  men  have 

termed  the  Latte:  :  y,  meaning  the  time  wherein  God 

would  gloriously  di.-play  his  power  and  love  in  the  fulfilment 

of  the  promi-e  that  •  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  shall  cover  the 

waters  cover  the  sea.'    The  generality  of  Chris- 

tians can  see  no  nigns  of  the  glorious  day  that  is  approaching; 

hut  how  is  this  to  be  accounted  for?     How  is  it  that  men  who 

now1  discern  the  face  of  the  sky,'  who  arc  not  only  great 

philosophers  but  great  divines,  as  eminent  as  ever  the  Sadducees 

-ee«  were,  do  not  di-eern  the  signs  of  the  glorious  times, 

which  if  not  hogun  are  niyh  crcn  nt  the  door? 

44  And  yet  the  wi-e  men  of  the  world,  men  of  learning  and 

renown,  cannot  understand  what  we  mean  hy  talking  of  an 

inary  work  of  <•<"!.     They  cannot  discern  the  signs  of 

the  times.     They  see  no  signs  at  all  of  God's  arising  to  main- 

tain his  own  cause,  and  set  up  his  kingdom  over  all  the  earth. 

44  What  »d  have  done  which  he  hath  not  done  to  con- 

vim  o  yon  that  the  day  is  coming,  that  the  time  is  at  hand  when 
he  will  fulfil  this  glorious  promise,  and  will  arise  to  maintain 
his  own  cause,  and  set  up  his  kingdom?  "—  J.  WESLEY,  Ser- 

,  71. 


Cl):irlt-  W«-lry  wrote  :m<l  Ming,  as  if  inspired  with 

:i  \i.  w   <>!'  tli,«   niaiiirunition  of  the  hitter-day  dispensa- 
tion, MS  follows  :  — 


236  PRESIDENCY-   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

Almighty  God  of  love, 

Set  up  the  attracting  sign, 
And  summon  whom  thou  dost  approve, 

For  messengers  divine. 

From  favored  Abraham's  seed 

The  new  apostles  choose, 
In  isles  and  continents  to  spread 

The  dead-reviving  news. 

We  know  it  shall  be  done; 

?Tis  God's  almighty  word; 
All  Israel  shall  the  Saviour  own, 

To  their  first  state  restored. 

Send,  then,  thy  servants  forth, 

To  call  the  Hebrews  home, 
From  east  and  west,  and  south  and  north, 

Let  all  the  wand'rers  come. 

With  Israel's  myriads  seal'd, 

Let  all  the  nations  meet, 
And  show  the  mystery  fulfilled, 

The  family  complete. 

This  is  in  accord  with  the  declared  statements  of  the 
prophets.  Daniel  says  :  — 

"  And  in  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set 
up  a  kingdom,  which  shall  never  be  destroyed:  and  the  king- 
dom shall  not  be  left  to  other  people,  but  it  shall  break  in  pieces 
and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  shall  stand  for  ever."  — 
Dan.  ii.  44. 

This  was  to  take  place  after  the  decline  and  fall  of 
the  Roman  Empire,  and  its  division  into  ten  kingdoms. 
The  division  did  not  occur  for  many  centuries  after  the 
beginning  of  the  Christian  era ;  hence  the  setting  up 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  indicated  by  Daniel,  was  to 
be  a  latter-day  event,  in  the  day  of  the  Lord's  "prep- 
aration." 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  237 

Nalmm  says  :  — 

44  The  chariots  shall  be  with  naming  torches  in  the  day  of 

>n,  and  the  fir  trees  shall  be  terribly  shaken.    The 

chariots  shall  rage  in  the  streets,  they  shall  justle  one  against 

!MT  in  the  broadways:  they  shall  seem  like  torches,  they 

shall  run  like  the  lightnings."  —  Chap.  ii.  3,  4. 

Thi-  elearly  indicates  modern  improvements,  and  the 
employment  of  the  agency  of  steam  and  electricity  as 
a  ine;m<  of  trrm-port.-ition.  Who  has  not  viewed  with 
admiration  and  \\ondn-  the  latter-day  chariots  as  they 
"run  like  the  liirlitninjrs,"  and  "justle  one  against 
another  in  the  broad  way"?  In  the  distance,  they 
"seem  like  torches,'1  and  the  trees  are  "terribly 
shaken."  This  fixes  the  day  of  God's  "preparation." 

Old  Israel  is  to  he  aroused  as  by  a  new  inspiration, 
and  hi-  faee  turned  \vitlisinilesof  IK  >pe  toward  the  "city 
of  t lie  irivat  King."  So  the  prophet  proclaimed:  — 

"  Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,  saith  your  God. 

•  <>mfoital>ly  to  .Jerusalem,  and  cry  unto  her,  that 
IHT  u. u  tare  is  accompli -In  <1,  that  her  iniquity  is  pardoned:  for 
sheli.iili  i  of  tin-  lord's  hand  douhle  for  all  her  sins." 

•    I  .\ « -ry  valley  shall  In-  exalted,  and  every  mountain  and  hill 
low:  and  the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and 
i  places  plain: 

\nd  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh 
shall  see  it  together:  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it." 
-Isa.  xl.  1,  -2.  I.  :.. 

shall  build  the  old  wastes,  they  shall  raise  up  the 
ier  desolations,  and  they  shall  repair  the  waste  cities,  the 

ny  generations." 

u  For  me  ye  shall  have  double;  and  for  confusion 

<hall  rejoice  in  their  portion:  therefore  in  their  land  they 
shall  possess  the  double:  everlasting  joy  shall  be  unto  them." 
-Isa.lxi.  4,7. 


238  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"  Go  through,  go  through  the  gates;  prepare  ye  the  way  of 
the  people;  cast  up,  cast  up  the  highway;  gather  out  the 
stones;  lift  up  a  standard  for  the  people."-- Isa.  Ixii.  10. 

Again :  — 

u  And  he  shall  set  up  an  ensign  for  the  nations,  and  shall 
assemble  the  outcasts  of  Israel,  and  gather  together  the  dis- 
persed of  Judah  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth."  —  Isa.  xi.  12. 

This  ensign  is  the  gospel  "standard,"  to  be  unfurled 
upon  "the  land  shadowing  with  wings"  (the  Amer- 
icas), and  "All  ye  inhabitants  of  the  world,  and  dwell- 
ers on  the  earth,  see  ye,  when  he  lifteth  up  an  ensign 
on  the  mountains ;  and  when  he  bloweth  a  trumpet, 
hear  ye." — (Isa.  xviii.  1,  3.) 

These  predictions  portray  a  great  latter-day  work ; 
one  in  which  the  hand  of  God  is  to  be  seen  moving 
among  the  nations  with  favor  towards  old  Israel,  and  the 
erecting  of  an  ensign  in  which  all  the  world  are  inter- 
ested. "Kings  shall  be  their  nursing  fathers,  and  their 
queens  their  nursing  mothers." 

The  time  is  again  fixed,  by  Jesus  and  Paul,  as 
follows :  — 

"  And  they  shall  fall  by  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  shall  be 
led  away  captive  into  all  nations:  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  trod- 
den down  of  the  Gentiles,  until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be  ful- 
filled^ —  Lukexxi.  24. 

u  Have  they  stumbled  that  they  should  fall?  God  forbid:  but 
rather  through  their  fall  salvation  is  come  unto  the  Gentiles." 

"  Blindness  in  part  has  happened  to  Israel,  until  the  fulness 
of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in. 

"And  so  all  Israel  shall  be  saved:  as  it  is  written,  There 
shall  come  out  of  Sion  the  Deliverer,  and  shall  turn  away 
ungodliness  from  Jacob: 

"For  this  is  my  covenant  unto  them,  when  I  shall  take  away 
their  sins."  —  Kom.  xi.  11,  25,  26,  27. 


\\D    n:ii>Tiiooi>.  239 

Jesus  says,  "  Jerusalem  shall  be  trodden  down  of  the 
'iles,  until  tin*  times  of  the  Gentiles  he  fulfilled"; 
Paul,  "Tntil  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in." 
This  indicates  that  there  would  be  a  time  when  Jerusa- 
lem would  cease  to  l>e  trodden  down,  and  favor  and 
bh-sinir    -hould   be   upon   it.     "So  all  Israel  shall  be 
"Ungodliness    shall    he    turned    away    from 
:>."     I-rael  shall  l>e  restored.     So  santir  Wesley:—- 

i,  -»»nd  thy  servants  forth, 
To  call  the  Hebrews  home! 

•in  rast  ami  west,  ami  south  and  north, 
Let  all  the  waml'rers  come." 

Tin-  i-  "the  times  of  restitution  of  all  things,  which 
God  hath  -poken  by  the  mouth  of  all  his  holy  prophets 
-inec  the  world  heiran."  (Acts  iii.  21.)  Hence  the 
revelation,  and  restitution  of  the  "sealed  book"  of 
Isaiah  xxix.,  in  which  is  written  :  — 

"  And  my  words  shall  hiss  forth  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
I    standard    unto   my    people,  which  are   of  the   house  of 
Israel."    (See,  also,  Rev.  xiv.  <>,  7.) 

Again  :  — 

'  O  ye  Gentiles,  have  ye  remembered  the  Jews,  mine  ancient 
covenant  people?  Nay;  hut  ye  have  cursed  them,  and  have 
haird  them,  and  have  not  sought  to  recover  them.  But  behold, 
I  will  return  all  these  things  upon  your  own  heads."  —  Sealed 
Book,  page  105. 

The  great  events  of  the  last  days  to  precede  the 
reining  of  the  Saviour  are  :  First,  the  revelation  of  the 
"sealed  hnok/'the  restoration  of  the  gospel,  and  the  con- 
ferring of  t  he  priesthood.  Second,  the  removing  of  the 


240  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

curse  from  the  land  of  Palestine,  and  the  restoration  of 
the  Jews.  Third,  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  the 
nations  as  a  warning.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  saying 
of  Jesus  was  to  be  fulfilled,  "  This  gospel  of  the  kingdom 
shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all 
nations  ;  and  then  shall  the  end  come."  (Matt.  xxiv. 
14.)  Fourth,  the  gathering  out  and  preparing  a  people 
to  meet  the  Lord  when  he  comes.  Fifth,  plagues  to  be 
sent  upon  the  wicked  in  the  form  of  sickness,  fire, 
sword,  flood,  tempest,  famine,  the  thunder  of  heaven, 
and  fierce  and  vivid  lightnings.  Old  Babylon  is  to  be 
had  in  remembrance  before  God,  and  is  to  fall  to  rise 
no  more.  So  it  is  written  :  — 

"  O  the  wise,  and  learned,  and  rich,  that  are  puffed  up  in  the 
pride  of  their  hearts,  and  all  those  who  preach  false  doctrines, 
and  all  those  who  commit  whoredoms,  and  pervert  the  right 
way  of  the  Lord;  woe,  woe,  woe  be  unto  them,  saith  the  Lord 
God  Almighty,  for  they  shall  be  thrust  down  to  hell. 

"  Woe  unto  them  that  turn  aside  the  just  for  a  thing  of 
naught,  and  revile  against  that  which  is  good,  and  say  that  it  is 
of  no  worth:  for  the  day  shall  come  that  the  Lord  God  will 
speedily  visit  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth;  and  in  that  day  that 
they  are  fully  ripe  in  iniquity,  they  shall  perish.  But  behold, 
if  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  shall  repent  of  their  wickedness 
and  abominations,  they  shall  not  be  destroyed,  saith  the  Lord 
of  hosts.  But  behold,  that  great  and  abominable  church,  the 
whore  of  all  the  earth,  must  tumble  to  the  earth;  and  great 
must  be  the  fall  thereof:  for  the  kingdom  of  the  devil  must 
shake,  and  they  which  belong  to  it  must  needs  be  stirred  up  unto 
repentance."  —  Sealed  Book,  page  103. 

Again,  as  indicating  the  moral  condition  of  the 
world  when  these  great  events  shall  transpire,  we 
read :  — 


PSBttDBKOI     Uli>    i'i:ii  -riiooD.  241 


k    Lfl  <  "-miles  are  lifted  up  in  the  pride  of  their  eyes, 

and  1  I0l  the  -real  ness  of  their  stumbling 

.,  that    they   have    luiilt  up  many  churches;   nevertheless, 

put  down  tin-  power  and  mirarles  of  (iod,  and  preach  up 

unt'Mhei:.  '.MI  \\  i-dom,  and  their  own  learning,  that 

th.  v  :  irain,  and  grind  upon  the  face  of  the  poor;  and 

uilt  up  which  cause  envyings,  and 

id  malice;  and  there  are  also  secret  combinations  even 

limes  of  old,  according  to  tin-  combinations  of  the  devil, 

.    is  th.-  foundation  of  all  these    things."  —  Sealed  JBoofc, 

page  U8. 

ain  :  — 

"They  d.  ny  the  power  of  (iod  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  and 

say  unto  the  people.  Hearken  unto  us  and  hear  ye  our  pre- 

hehold  t:  1  to-day,  for  the  Lord  and  the 

r  hath  d-  \ork,  and  he  hath  given   his  power 

m«  n.      i;>  h'.'.d,  hearken  ye  unto  my  precept.     If  they  shall 

is  a  miracle  wrought  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  believe 

r  this  day  he  is  not  a  (iod  of  miracles;  he  hath  done 

his  work.     Yea,*!)*]  there  >hall  be  many  which  shall  say,  Eat, 

drin!..  merry,  for  to-morrow  we  die,  and  it  shall  be  well 

with  us.     And  there  shall  also  be  many  which  shall  say,  Eat, 

drink,  and  be  m.  r:\  ;  m-vrthcless,  fear  (iod.    lie  will  justify  in 

milting  a  little  sin.     Yea,  lie  a  little,  take  the  advantage  of 

one  because  of  his  words,  dig  a  pit  for  thy  neighbor;  there  is 

no  harm  in  thi>.     And  do  all  these  tilings,  for  to-morrow  we 

and  if  it  so  be  tint  we  are  guilty,  God  will  beat  us  with  a 

few  stripes,  and  at  last  we  shall  be  saved  in  the  kingdom  of 

shall   be  many  which  shall  teach  after 

thi-  manner,  laNe  and  vain  and  foolish  doctrines,  and  shall  be 

puffed  up   in  their  hearts,  and  shall  seek  deep  to  hide  their 

counsels  from  the  Lord;  and  their  works  shall  be  in  the  dark, 

and  the  blood  of  the  saints  shall  cry  from  the  ground  against 

they  have  all   gone   out  of  the  way;    they  have 

become  corrupted.     Because   of    pride,  and  because  of    false 

and  false  doctrine,  their  churches  have  become  cor- 


242  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

rupted,  and  their  churches  are  lifted  up;  because  of  pride  they 
are  puffed  up.  They  rob  the  poor,  because  of  their  fine  sanctu- 
aries; they  rob  the  poor,  because  of  their  fine  clothing;  and 
they  persecute  the  meek  and  the  poor  in  heart,  because  in  their 
pride  they  are  puffed  up.  They  wear  stiff  necks  and  high 
heads;  yea,  and  because  of  pride  and  wickedness,  and  abomina- 
tions and  whoredoms,  they  have  all  gone  astray,  save  it  be  a 
few  who  are  the  humble  followers  of  Christ.  Nevertheless, 
they  are  led  that  in  many  instances  they  do  err,  because  they 
are  taught  by  the  precepts  of  men."  —  Book  of  Mormon,  page  102. 

"  And  it  came  to  pass  that  I  saw  among  the  nations  of  the 
Gentiles  the  foundation  of  a  great  church.  And  the  angel  said 
unto  me,  Behold  the  foundation  of  a  church,  which  is  most 
abominable  above  all  other  churches,  which  slayeth  the  saints 
of  God;  yea,  and  tortureth  them,  and  bindeth  them  down,  and 
yoketh  them  with  a  yoke  of  iron,  and  bringeth  them  down  into 
captivity.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  I  beheld  this  great  and 
abominable  church;  and  I  saw  the  devil  that  he  was  the 
foundation  of  it.  And  I  also  saw  gold  and  silver,  and  silks, 
and  scarlets,  and  fine-twined  linen,  and  all  manner  of  precious 
clothing;  and  I  saw  many  harlots.  And  the  angel  spake  unto 
me,  saying,  Behold  the  gold  and  the  silver,  and  the  silks,  and 
the  scarlets,  and  the  fine-twined  linen,  and  the  precious  cloth- 
ing, and  the  harlots,  are  the  desires  of  this  great  and  abomina- 
ble church;  and  also  lor  the  praise  of  the  world  do  they 
destroy  the  saints  of  God,  and  bring  them  down  into  captivity." 
—  Book  of  Mormon,  page  23,  paragraphs  33,  34. 

"Thou  seest  the  foundation  of  a  great  and  abominable 
church,  which  is  most  abominable  above  all  other  churches."  — 
Page  25,  paragraph  40. 

"And  that  great  pit  which  hath  been  digged  for  them,  by 
the  great  and  abominable  church,  which  was  founded  by  the 
devil  and  his  children  that  he  might  lead  away  the  souls  of  men 
down  to  hell;  yea,  that  great  pit  which  hath  been  digged  for  the 
destruction  of  men,  shall  be  filled  by  those  who  digged  it,  unto 
their  utter  destruction,  saith  the  Lamb  of  God."  —  Page  27, 
paragraph  44. 


l'i:l.Ml»KNCY   AM)    1'KI  KSTHOOD.  243 

\ud  it  came  to  pass  that  I  beheld  that  the  wrath  of  God 
was  poured  out  upon  the  ^r.-.-it  and  abominable  church,  inso- 
much that  there  were  1  rumors  of  wars  among  all  the 

nations  and  kindreds  of  the  earth;  and  as  there  began  to  be 
wars  and  rumors  of  wars  amoni:  all  the  nations  which  belonged 
to  the  mother  of  abomination^,  the  angel  spake  unto  me, 
Baying,  Behold,  the  wrath  «»f  (>od  is  upon  the  mother  of 

>ts;  and  bchuld,  thon  >ee*t  all  these  things;  and  when  the 

day  cometh  that   the  wrath   of  (iml  is   poured   out  upon  the 

ni"th«  r  of  harlots,  which  is  the  -real  and  abominable  church  of 

all  the  earth,  whose  foundation  N  the  devil,  then  at  that  day 

r  shall  commence.  in  preparing  the  way 

•he  fulfilling  of  his  covenants,  which  he  hath  made  to  his 
people  who  are  of  the  lu  :  a<  1."  je  28,  paragraph  51. 

Furthri  sini:  tln-e  t  i  nirs  t  he  Saviour  spake  :  - 

B  shall  be  the  sun,  and  in  the  moon,  and 

in  the  stars;  and  upon  the  earth  distress  of  nations,  with  per- 

is ;  the  sea  and  the  waves  n»aii 

rt  Men's  hearts  failini:  them  for  fear,  and  for  looking  after 
those  things  which  are  i  ..111111-  on  the  earth:  for  the  powers  of 

n  -hall  be  >haken. 

"  And  then  shall  they  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  a  cloud 
with  power  and  great  glory. 

n  these  things  begin  to  come  to  pass,  then  look 
nid  lift  up  your  heads;  for  your  redemption  draweth  nigh. 
\nd  he  spake  to  them  a  parable;  Behold  the  fig  tree,  and 
all  the  trees; 

•   When  they  now  shoot  forth,  ye  see  and  know  of  your  own 
s  that  summer  is  now  nigh  at  hand. 

,  when   ye   see  these  things  come  to  pass, 
'hat  the  kin-'l-.m  «>f  (.<>.!  is  nigh  at  hand. 
44  Yei  ;!v  I  aay  unto  you,  This  -eneration  shall  not  pass  away, 
till  all  be  fulfilled."  —  Luke  xxi.  25-32. 


LTcneration  in  which  the  signs  here  indicated  are 
to  take   place,  was  not  to  pass  until  all  be  fulfilled. 


244  PRESIDENCY    AND    PKIESTHOOD. 

The  great  destructions  and  perplexities  by  sea  and  land  ; 
the  signs  in  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars ;  the  distress  of 
nations,  "with  men's  hearts  failing  them  for  fear"  ;  the 
restoration  of  the  gospel,  and  the  movement  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth  favoring  the  restoration  of  the 
Jews  ;  the  especial  favor  of  Providence  upon  their  land  ; 
the  revelation  of  the  "  sealed  book  "  of  Isaiah  xxix.  ;  the 
conferring  of  the  priesthood,  the  preaching  of  the  gos- 
pel to  all  the  world  as  a  witness  ;  the  extreme  reckless- 
ness, infidelity,  and  wickedness  of  the  world,  —  are  all 
events  announced  to  transpire  in  this  latter-day  dispen- 
sation, to  eventuate  in  the  coming  of  the  Saviour  to 
reign  on  the  earth. 

To  the  intelligent  and  thoughtful  Bible  student,  and 
observer  of  the  momentous  events  thus  transpiring  in 
the  political,  religious,  and  social  condition  of  the  world, 
together  with  the  strange  calamities  and  unheard-of 
exhibitions  in  the  physical  universe  and  moral  world, 
in  the  form  of  flood,  and  flame,  and  trial,  with  de- 
struction on  sea  and  land,  and  the  depravity  of  man,  the 
great  movements  among  the  kingdoms  and  nations  of 
the  earth,  there  is  a  significance  and  certainty  attach- 
ing to  these  announcements  made  by  the  prophets, 
that  is  all-absorbing  and  convincing  that  there  is  a  God 
in  heaven,  and  that  he  is  accomplishing  his  declared 
purposes  among  men,  and  "has  arisen  to  maintain  his 
own  cause  ";  to  usher  in  the  "Latter-Day  Glory,"  in 
this  the  "dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times,"  in  the 
which  he  will  " restore  all  things  "  and  "gather  together 
in  one,  all  things  that  are  in  heaven  and  that  are  in  the 
earth,"  and  "  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness  " ;  when 


ri;l>IM;\.   Y     AND    I'KIESTHOOl).  245 

the  kingdom  and  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  the 
kinirdom,  "under  the  whole  heaven,  shall  be  given  to 
tli*'  people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High"  (Dan. 
vii.  -21):  \\heii  the  Saviours  prayer  shall  have  been 
UBWered,  "Thy  kingdom  eume,  thy  will  be  done  in 
earth  as  it  U  in  hravm." 

In  fur:her  proof  that  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  was  divinely 
in-pired,  and  that  (iod  has  sent  his  angel  to  restore  the 
"evcM-laMing  gospel,"  in  fulfilment  of  Rev.  xiv.  6,  7, 
tin*  following  is  Mihmitted  in  evidence:  — 

u  When  n  prophet  speaketh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  if  the 
thin-  fi.!!ow  n. .1.  nbrooOM  to  pa.ss,  that  is  the  thing  which  the 
Lord  hath  not  spoken."  —  Di?ui.  xviii.  22. 

Thi>  is  rijiial  to  saying,  that  if  the  thing  does  w  fol- 
low,"and",  that  is  the  thing  which  the 
Lord  hath  "spoken.* 

The  angrl  -aid  to  .lo>eph  Smith,  Jr.:  — 

"The  knowledge  which   th:>  r«  onl  [the  'Sealed  Book'  — 
4  Book  of  Mormon 'J  contains  will  go  to  every  nation,  and  kin- 
aii'l  tongue,  and  people  under  the  whole  heaven."  —  Voice 
•  Burning,  page  7J. 

"  On  them  (the  plates)  is  contained  the  fulness  of  the  gos- 
pel of  Jesus  Christ  as  it  was  given  to  his  people  on  this  laud; 
and  when  it  shall  be  brought  forth  by  the  power  of  God,  it  shall 
be  carried  to  the  Gentiles,  of  ivhom  many  will  receive  it.  .  .  . 
And  because  the  power  of  God  shall  be  displayed,  those  who 
profess  to  know  the  truth,  but  walk  in  deceit,  shall  tremble  with 

-/'nd.,  page  71. 

'    When    they  are  interpreted,  the  Lord  will  give  the  holy 

thood  to  some,  and  they  shall  begin  to  proclaim  this  gospel 

aii'l  hapti/.i»  by  water,  and  after  that  they  shall  have  power  to 

the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  hands.      Then  will 

persecution  rage  more  and  more."  — Ibid.,  page  72. 

M  Vour  name  shall  be  known  among  all  nations." — 


246  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

Were  there  ever  predictions  made  by  God,  angels, 
or  men,  that  came  to  pass  more  fully  and  truly? 
They  were  beyond -human  wisdom.  Then  these  are 
the  "things"  that  the  "Lord  hath  said."  After  the 
translation  of  the  "  Sealed  Book "  many  shall  say, 
"A  Bible!  a  Bible!  we  have  got  a  Bible,  and  there 
cannot  be  any  more  Bible."  ("Book  of  Mormon," 
page  105.) 

"For  after  the  book  of  which  I  have  spoken  shall 
come  forth  [the  '  Sealed  Book '  — f  Book  of  Mormon  '] , 
and  be  written  unto  the  Gentiles,  and  sealed  up  again 
unto  the  Lord,  there  shall  be  many  which  shall  believe 
the  words  which  are  written."  ("  Book  of  Mormon,"  page 
106,  paragraph  11.)  Could  any  living  man  have  known 
so  much  by  his  own  wisdom?  It  has  come  to  pass. 
That  fixes  it  as  true. 

Again  :  — 

"  At  that  day  when  the  book  shall  be  delivered  unto  the  man 
of  whom  I  have  spoken  .  .  .  three  witnesses  shall  behold  it,  by 
the  power  of  God,  besides  him  to  whom  the  book  shall  be 
delivered,  and  they  shall  testify  to  the  truth  of  the  book  and 
the  things  therein."  —  Book  of  Mormon,  page  100. 

Here  is  their  testimony  :  — 

u  Be  it  known  unto  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues,  and  peo- 
ple, unto  whom  this  work  shall  coniQ,  that  we,  through  the 
grace  of  God  the  Father,  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  have  seen 
the  plates  which  contain  this  record,  which  is  a  record  of  the 
people  of  Kephi,  and  also  of  the  Lamonites,  their  brethren,  and 
also  of  the  people  of  Jared,  who  came  from  the  tower  of  which 
hath  been  spoken;  and  we  also  know  that  they  have  been 
translated  by  the  gift  and  power  of  God,  for  his  voice  hath 
declared  it  unto  us;  wherefore  we  know  of  a  surety  that  the 


PHB8IDENOY    AN1>   1'KlKsTllOOD.  247 

work  is  tin.  .     And   wo  also  testify  that  we   have  seen  the 

••avinirs   \vhi» -li   are  upon  the  plates,  and   they  have  been 

showed  unto  us  hy  t!  of  (iod,  and  not  of  man.    And 

we  declare  with  words  of  soberness,  that  an  angel  of  God  came 

ii  from  heaven,  and  he  brought  and  laid  before  our  eyes,  that 

\s  •   I. -•!..  Id  and  saw  the  plates  and  the  engravings  thereon;  and 

now  that  it  is  by  the  «::  tod  the  Father,  and  our  Lord 

Jesus  Christ,  that  w<   U  h.  !d  and  hear  record  that  these  things 

are  trur;   and  it  i>  marvi  lions   in  our  eyes;  nevertheless,  the 

^)ic»  i;md»  d  that  we  should  bear  record  of  it; 

efore  to  be  obedient  unto  the  commandments  of  God,  we 

bear  testimony  of  these  thin_r<.     And  we  know  that  if  we  are 

.fnl  in  (  h/i>t,  we  shall  rid  our  garments  of  the  blood  of  all 

nun,  and  1..-  found  spotless  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ, 

and  shall  dwidl  with  him  eternally  in  the  heavens.     And  the 

honor  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost; 

which  is  one  God.     Ann-n. 

"OLIVER  COWDREY. 
DAVID  WHITMEB. 
MARTIN  HARRIS." 

These  \\itne^r-  \\.-iv  none  of  them  known  to  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  at  the  t ime  the  "  Hook  of  Mormon  "was  re- 
vealed, exeept,  po—iMy,  he  knew  of  Harris ;  hence 
tlu -ie  wa>  no  ehaiiee  for  collusion  or  fraud.  The  state- 
ment in  tin*  ln)ok  was  as  literally  fulfilled  as  any 
annotiiK  (  nient  could  have  been.  The  integrity  of 
those  men  is  known  and  admitted.  They  were  faithful 
to  their  testimony  before  friends  and  foes,  until  death. 
Their  names  are  unsullied  with  the  odium  of  Salt 
Lak"  and  polygamy,  having  denounced  the  intrigue 
and  wirkrdness  of  that  people,  as  being  not  of  the 
faith.  Tli.-y  went  out  from  us,  not  "being  of  us." 

The  angel  further  declared  that  in  that  "Sealed 
Book "  was  "  contained  the  fulness  of  the  gospel  of 


248  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

Jesus  Christ  as  it  was  given  to  his  people  on  this  land, 
and  when  it  shall  be  brought  forth  by  the  power  of 
God  it  shall  be  carried  to  the  Gentiles,  of  whom  many 
will  receive  it."  How  could  Mr.  Smith  of  himself 
have  known  that  anybody  would  receive  it?  But  they 
did  receive  it,  and  are  receiving  it. 

Again,  says  the  angel,  "I  give  unto  you  another 
sign;  and  when  it  comes  to  pass,  then  know  that  the 
Lord  is  God,  and  that  he  will  fulfil  his  purposes,  and 
that  the  knowledge  which  this  contains  [the  ' sealed 
book'  of  Isaiah  xxix.]  will  go  to  every  nation,  and 
kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people  under  the  whole 
heaven."  Could  Mr.  Smith  of  himself  have  divined 
this?  Yet  it  has  nearly  or  quite  come  to  pass. 

But  the  angel  continues  :  — 

uThis  is  the  sign:  When  these  things  begin  to  be  known, 
that  is,  when  it  is  known  that  the  Lord  has  shown  you  these 
things,  the  workers  of  iniquity  will  seek  your  overthrow.  They 
will  circulate  falsehoods  to  destroy  your  reputation,  and  also 
will  seek  to  take  your  life;  but  remember  this,  if  you  are  faith- 
ful, and  shall  hereafter  continue  to  keep  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord,  you  shall  be  preserved  to  bring  these  things  forth." 

Was  there  ever  a  thing  declared  that  was  more  faith- 
fully true  ? 

Again,  it  is  written  :  — 

uAnd  the  blood  of  the  saints  shall  cry  from  the  ground 
against  them."  —  Sealed  Book,  page  103. 

Who  could  have  forecast,  but  the  all-wise  God,  that 
in  this  land  of  liberty,  sanctified  by  the  blood  of  our 
Revolutionary  fathers,  where  the  equal  rights  of  men 


1  l;l>II>KNCY'    AND   riUESTHOOD.  249 

and    freedom  of   worship  are  the  pride  and  boast  of 

the  people,  and  which  are  guaranteed  by  constitutional 
rnartmnit,  where  the  irrand  old  stars  and  stripes  waved 
in  heaven  as  security  of  those  rights,  that  men,  women, 
and  children  would  l>e  shot  down  in  cold  blood,  and 
other\\i>e  maltreated  and  killed,  just  because  they 
dillcn-d  from  their  neighbors  in  religious  belief?  Let 
the  hi-tory  of  the  Stale-  of  Illinois  and  Missouri  attest 
the  divinity  in  the  above  statement.  In  Illinois,  Joseph 
•  \\  and  his  brother  Iliram  were  shot  dead  because 
of  their  reli-iou-  belief-,  and  their  blood  still  stains  the 
of  the  old  prison  at  (  'arthajro.  In  Missouri  seven- 
innocent  people  were  -hot  on  account  of  their  faith 
and  thrown  into  one  well  as  a  burying  place,  and  num- 
of  others  killed,  whipped,  robbed,  and  upwards 
of  three  thou-and  >ouls  expelled  from  the  State,  in  the 
1  of  winter,  under  the  exterminating  order  of  the 
governor,  :md  n«»t  a  -in-le  indictment  against  them  on 
the  !•>•<  ords  indicating  wronir-doin^  upon  their  part.  It 
i-  preposterous  to  a-smne  that  Joseph  Smith  could  have 
divined  by  hi-  own  wi-dom  that  these  terrible,  atrocious, 
and  reproachful  deed-  >honld  have  been  perpetrated  in 
fivr  America. 

When  a  man  -peaks  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  it 
folln\\-t — corno  to  j»a>>,  —  that  is  the  thing  the  Lord 
has  said. 

In  1831  the  Lord  s-iid  unto  Joseph  Smith  :- 

44  V  ,v  unto  you,  that  irn-at  things  await  you;  ye  hear 

!i  lands,  but  behold  I  say  unto  you,  they  are 
ni-li,  even  at  your  doors,  and  not  many  years  hence  ye  shall 
of  wars  in  your  own  lauds.''—  Commits  and  Command- 
4.~>,  paragraph  11. 


I 

250  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

Again  :  — 

"The  judgments  of  God  are  almost  ready  to  burst  upon  the 
nations  of  the  earth.  .  .  .  And  now  I  am  prepared  to  say  by 
the  authority  of  Jesus  Christ  that  not  many  years  shall  pass 
away  before  the  United  States  shall  present  such  a  scene  of 
bloodshed  as  has  not  a  parallel  in  the  history  of  our  nation." 
—  Letter  of  Joseph  Smith  to  N.  Seaton,  of  New  York,  Jan.  5, 
1833. 

"  Yerily,  thus  saith  the  Lord  concerning  the  wars  that  will 
shortly  come  to  pass,  beginning  at  the  rebellion  of  South  Caro- 
lina, which  will  eventually  terminate  in  the  death  and  misery  of 
many  souls.  The  days  will  come  that  war  will  be  poured  out 
upon  all  nations  beginning  at  that  place,  for  behold  the  South- 
ern States  shall  be  divided  against  the  Northern  States,  and  the 
Southern  States  will  call  on  other  nations,  even  the  nation  of 
Great  Britain,  as  it  is  called,  and  they  shall  also  call  upon  other 
nations  in  order  to  defend  themselves  against  other  nations, 
and  thus  shall  war  be  poured  out  upon  all  nations.  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  after  many  days,  slaves  shall  rise  up  against  their 
masters,  who  shall  be  marshalled  and  disciplined  for  war.  And 
it  shall  come  to  pass,  also,  that  the  remnants  who  are  left  of 
the  land  shall  marshal  themselves  and  shall  become  exceeding 
angry,  and  shall  vex  the  Gentiles  with  a  sore  vexation;  and  thus 
with  the  sword  and  by  bloodshed  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
shall  mourn,  and  with  famine,  and  plague,  and  earthquakes,  and 
the  thunder  of  heaven,  and  the  fierce  and  vivid  lightnings  also, 
shall  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  be  made  to  feel  the  wrath  and 
indignation  and  chastening  hand  of  an  Almighty  God  until  the 
consumption  decreed  hath  made  a  full  end  of  all  nations,  that 
the  cry  of  the  saints  and  the  blood  of  the  saints  shall  cease  to 
come  up  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth  from  the  earth, 
to  be  avenged  of  their  enemies.  Wherefore  stand  ye  in  holy 
places,  and  be  not  moved  until  the  day  of  the  Lord  come;  for 
behold  it  cometh  quickly,  saith  the  Lord.  Amen." 

Is  not  the  great  Kebellion  of  1860  a  sufficient  attesta- 
tion that  these  utterances  were  inspired  of  God?  Men 


ri;l>II>KNCY    AND    I'UIKSTHOOD.  251 

cculd   not  have  given  such  a  forecast  of  the  future. 
\Vhoii  the  thini:  follows  and  comes  to  pass,  of  such  an 
r\iraordm:iry  cliarartiT,  it  is  (iod  that  speaks.     Reve- 
•i  Lriv. -n  in  1  982.      Published  in  the  Pearl  of  Great 
P  '"'•*,  in  1851,  at  Liverpool,  Kng. 
Again  :  — 

44  Tl  said  to  Mr.  Smilli,  'Your  namo  shall  be  known 

>rk  which  the  Lord  will  perform 
.jhteous  to  rejoice  and  the 
ked  to  rage/  '  —  Von-e  of  Wa rni w/,  page  72. 

It  i-  j  1   in  the  "Sealed  Book  "that  it  would 

_rht  to  light :  — 

a  a  day  when  the  blood  of  the  saints  will  cry  unto  the 

uuse  of  secret  com  hi  nations  and  the  works  of  dark- 

a.  it  shall  come  in  a  day  when  the  power  of  God  shall 

i.  :md  ehurehr>  become  defiled,  and  shall  he  lifted  up 

in  ili<  thnr  h<  .   It  shall  come  in  a  day  when 

snail  be  great  pollutions  upon  the  face  of  the  earth;  there 

shall  he   murders,  and  rohl>iiiur.  and  lyin.i;,  and  deceivings,  and 

whoredoms,  and  all  manner  of  abominations,  when  there  shall 

any  who  will  say,  *Do  this  or  do  that,'  and  it  matters  not, 

tor  the  Lord  will  uphold  such  at  the  last  day.  .  .  . 

11  B  Christ  has  shown  you  unto  me,  and  I  know 

g»;  and  I  know  that  you  do  walk  in  the  pride  of  your 
hearts;  and  there  arc  none,  save  a  few  only,  who  do  not  lift 
thrni  .in  the  pride  of  their  hearts,  unto  the  wearing  of 

very  line  apparel,  unto  envying,  and  strifes,  and  malice,  and 
persecutions,  and  all  manner  of  iniquities;  and  your  churches, 
i  '-very  one,  have  become  polluted  because  of  the  pride 
of  your  heart-.  For  behold,  ye  do  love  money,  and  your 
substaiK ••-.  and  vmir  fine  apparel,  and  the  adorning  of  your 
chnnh.-,  ninre  than  ye  love  the  poor  and  the  needy,  the  sick 
and  the  afflicted.''—  Pages  4W,  407. 

None  can  deny  that  the  things  set  forth  in  the  above 
lu'cn  :ncreascd  in  a  surprising  manner  since  the 
revelation  of  the  "  Sealed  Book."  So  that  the  prevail- 
iiiir  influence  of  such  things  in.society,  and  throughout 
Christendom,  support  the  position  that  these  utterances 
were  divinely  inspire  d. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MODERN  SCIENTIFIC  DISCLOSURES  CORROBORATE  THE  STATEMENTS 
OP  JOSKPH  SMITH,  JR.,  THAT  THE  CHARACTERS  SUBMITTED  BY 
HIM  AND  MARTIN  HARRIS  TO  THE  INSPECTION  OF  DR.  MITCHELL 
AND  PROF.  ANTHON,  OF  NEW  YORK  CITY,  WERE  TRUK  OXKS, 
AND  WERE  COPIED  FROM  THE  RECORDS  OF  THE  ANCIENT  IN- 
HABITANTS OF  AMERICA,  AS  AFFIRMED  AND  TESTIFIED  TO  BY 

HIM  AND    OTHERS. 

PROF.  ANTHON,  no  doubt,  intended  that  his  state- 
ment concerning  the  characters  submitted  to  him  should 
militate  against  the  claims  of  the  "Book  of  Mormon." 
Said  he,  "This  paper  was  in  fact  a  singular  scroll.  It 
consisted  of  all  kinds  of  crooked  characters,  disposed 
in  columns.  .  .  .  Greek  and  Hebrew  letters,  crosses 
and  flourishes,  Roman  letters  inverted  or  placed  side- 
ways, were  arranged  in  perpendicular  columns,  and  the 
whole  ended  in  the  rude  delineation  of  a  circle,  divided 
into  various  compartments,  decked  with  various  strange 
marks." 

Mr.  Harris  says  that  Prof.  Anthon  "said  they  were 
Egyptian,  Chaldaic,  Assyrian,  and  Arabic  characters." 
(See  page  202.) 

Let  us  examine  these  statements,  especially  that  of 
Prof.  Anthon,  in  the  light  of  the  statements  made  in  the 
"Book  of  Mormon,"  compared  with  modern  scientific 
discoveries,  and  judge  as  to  whether  it  is  safe  to  lightly 
treat  Smith's  claim  to  having  obtained  plates  and  trans- 
lated them,  or  not. 


ri:l>II.|   \<  V     AM)    PRIESTHOOD.  253 

The  w  Book  of  Mormon"  asserts  that -a.colony  of  peo- 
ple camo  from  tin-  tower  of  Babel,  crossed  the  ocean, 
ami  settled  in  Central  America.  They  were  called 
•hire,  dill's.  This  mi-ration  from  the  Old  World  took 
place  upwards  of  two  thousand  years  previous  to  the 
birth  of  the  Saviour.  From  Central  America  they 
spread  into  North  America,  hut  they  never  inhabited 
South  America. 

A,  seyono1  ffl|onyr  ffflUfif}  fifinfaitefl  {'^  " 'lirmi  *^n  "Book 

of  Mormon"  is  mainly  an  abridged  history),  left  Jeru- 

m  under  dixim-  guidance,  in  the  days  of  "Zedekiah, 

.ludah."  about  ^x  hundred  years  before  Christ, 

and  finally  landed  upon  the  \\.-i  ooasi  of  South  America, 

not  far  from  the  territory  now  known  as  Chili  or  Peru. 

They    were  .Jrws,   and   possessed  a   knowledge  of  the 

"learning    of    the     Jews,    and    the     language    of    the 

ptians." 

They  brought  with  them  a  copy  of  tho  Hebrew  Scrip- 
tures, extending  down  to  the  days  of  Jeremiah  the 
prophet,  and  they  wrote  a  history  of  themselves  (en- 
irraved  it  UJKHI  metallic  plates),  in  what  they  called  the 
"Reformed  Kiryptian  language." 

Still  a  third  .fiqkiny,  f?ftrgft  out  from  Jerusalem  at  the 
time  that  Xedekiah,  king  of  Judah,  was  carried  away 
captive  to  Babylon,  one  of  Zedekiah's  sons,  named 
Alylek,  being  among  the  number.  They  also  settled 
in  the  country  now  known  as  Eastern  Central  America. 
In  process  of  time  they  changed  their  language,  or 
rather,  it  "  became  corrupted."  ("Book  of  Mormon," 
pages  1,  3,  1),  43,  95,  137,  394,  500,  and  510.) 

The  Nephites  also  changed  their  language,  both  the 


254  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"Hebrew"  and  the  "Reformed  Egyptian,"  to  suit  their 
time  and  circumstances.  (Page  500.) 

These  two  latter  nations  were  finally  united  into  one 
nation.  One  king  reigned  over  them,  and  they  grew 
and  spread  into  South,  Central,  and  North  America, 
from  sea  to  sea,  east  and  west.  They  reinhabited  Cen- 
tral and  North  America,  where  the  Jaredites,  who  came 
out  from  Babel  twelve  centuries  before  the  Nephite 
colony  arrived  from  Jerusalem,  had  dwelt,  and  became 
a  great  nation,  the  Jaredite  colony  now  having  become 
extinct. 

Accepting  all  this  as  true,  together  with  the  state- 
ment that  these  distinct  peoples  possessed  a  written 
language,  two  of  whom  at  least  were  educated  Jews, 
of  one  it  is  expressly  stated  that  he  possessed  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  "learning  of  the  Jews,  and  the  language 
of  the  Egyptians  "  ;  and  another  colony,  that  they  came 
from  the  tower,  at  the  confusion  of  tongues,  bringing 
with  them  the  old  prehistoric  Cushite,  Arabic,  and 
Chaldaic  language  (for  their  language  was  not  con* 
founded) ,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  statement  of  Prof. 
Anthon,  in  his  description  of  the  characters  taken  from 
their  records,  which  represented  their  manner  of  writing, 
as  averred  by  Mr.  Smith  and  others,  that  is  so  wonder- 
fully inconsistent  with  what  might  logically  be  expected. 
They  consisted  of  "all  kinds  of  crooked  characters," 
a  "singular  scroll,"  "Greek  and  Hebrew  letters," 
"crosses  and  flourishes,"  "Roman  letters  inverted," 
and  "ranged  in  perpendicular  columns."  Mr.  Harris 
says  they  were  declared  to  be  "Egyptian,  Chaldaic, 
Assyrian,  and  Arabic  characters.'* 


PRESIDENT  ^      \\D    IIMKSTHOOD.  255 

From  a  consideration  of  the  history  of  those  peoples, 
:i>  L'ivni  in  the  "Book  of  Mormon,"  it  would  bereasona- 
Me  to  conclude  that  their  writings  would  appear  very 
much  as  set  out  1)\  Prof.  Anthon.  It  is  now  known 
that  in  primeval  times,  Kirypt,  Chaldea,  Ionia  (Asia 
Minor),  and  Canaan  were  settled  by  emigrants  from 
Arabia,  \vhirli  belonged  to  the  old  Cushite  or  Hamitc 
nation,  both  of  the-e  being  of  the  same,  or  similar, 
national  habits  and  enlture.  They  were  the  civilizers 
and  edQMton  of  their  time.  Their  attainments  were 
simply  marvellou-,  r-peeially  in  the  scienee  of  mathe- 
maties  and  a-tronoiny.  From  their  old  alphabet  it 
is  alleged  N\«-ro  derived  all  the  alphabets  of  modern 
Knrope,  and  it  was  out  from  that  people  that  the  first 
ooloniefl  eamr  to  tin-  \\c-tcni  continent.  Says  John  D. 
Iialdwin,  A.  M.  :  — 

44  What  i-  usually  talked  of  as  Greek  culture  had  its  origin  in 
.iwl  was  richly  developed  there  long  before  its 
liirht  appeared  at  Athene  The  earliest  intellectual  movement 
that  found  expression  in  the  Greek  language  was  wholly 
A -i: it ic.  It  appeared  in  Ionia,  the  country  of  Homer,  Thales, 
1'ythairoras,  and  Herodotus,  where,  during  many  ages  before 
tin  Innians  and  their  language  became  predominant,  another 
people  had  richly  brightened  the  land  with  their  culture.  The 
literature,  language,  and  sway  of  the  older  people  were  super- 
seded or  absorbed  by  the  Ionic  family  of  the  Greek  race,  just  as 
in  Italy,  some  centuries  later,  the  speech,  culture,  and  dominion 
truria  were  superseded  by  the  Romans.  The  cities  of 
Ionia  and  of  the  whole  coast  of  Asia  Minor  were  built  and 
occupied  originally  by  the  race  represented  by  the  Phoenicians, 
followed  by  the  Pelasgians;  and  in  that  beautiful  region,  what- 
ever culture  was  known  to  Arabia,  Egypt,  Chaldea,  and  the 
East,  received  it-  most  elegant  development. 


256  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"The  scholars  of  Ionia  itself  studied  in  the  schools  of 
Phoenicia  and  Egypt.  They  reached  a  degree  of  intellectual 
independence  and  of  progress  in  science  never  equalled  by  any 
community  on  the  other  side  of  the  JEgean. 

"  Only  a  small  portion  of  the  literature  of  Ionia  has  been 
preserved;  but  the  earliest  Greek  writers  known  or  mentioned 
were  all  natives  of  Asia  Minor,  or  representatives .  of  its 
culture.  Homer  was  born  and  educated  there;  Hesiod's  par- 
entage and  literary  training  were  both  Ionian;  Archiloclms, 
'  the  first  Greek  who  composed  iambic  verses  according  to  fixed 
rules,'  was  born  on  that  coast  in  the  eighth  century  before 
Christ,  and  had  a  fame  '  second  only  to  that  of  Homer.'  There 
appeared  the  first  development  of  what  has  been  called  the 
'  Greek  philosophy,'  and  Herodotus  tells  us  that  Thales, '  the 
father  of  Greek  philosophy,'  was  'of  Phoenician  extraction'; 
he  was  born  at  Miletus  in  the  seventh  century  before  Christ. 
...  In  Asia  Minor  rose  the  most  elegant  and  beautiful  order 
of  Greek  architecture  —  the  Ionic. 

"  At  the  beginning  of  the  sixth  century  before  Christ  the 
Greek  world  had  two  matchless  temples  that  moved  all  behold- 
ers with  admiration  and  wonder.  They  were  both  in  Asia 
Minor,  one  being  the  temple  of  Hera,  at  Samos,  the  other  the 
temple  of  Diana,  at  Ephesus.  Artistic  architecture  had  not 
then  made  its  appearance  in  Hellas.  .  .  .  Herodotus  showed 
that  religion,  letters,  and  civilization  came  to  the  Greeks  from 
the  Phoenicians  and  Egyptians."  —  Prehistoric  Nations,  pages 
43-45. 

Here  we  have  presented  a  remarkable  civilization  that 
existed  in  primeval  times,  which  antedates  the  civiliza- 
tion of  Greece,  or  Rome,  or  Phoenicia.  Its  original 
seat  was  in  old  Arabia ;  from  thence  the  inhabitants 
emigrated  westward  and  laid  the  foundations  of  Egypt, 
Chaldea,  Mesopotamia,  indeedall  Western  Asia, Canaan, 
and  Phoenicia.  They  had  "  reached  a  degree  of  intel- 
lectual independence  and  progress  in  science  never 


\M>    n;ii>i  HOOD.  257 

equalled  liy  any  community  on  the  other  side  of  the 
I-' rum  their  alphabet,  "all  of  the  alphabets 
of  modem  Kurope  have  been  derived."  This  discovery 
i>  indeed  a  .-trance  kiiul  of  missing  link,  that  seientists 
havr  luckily  rui,  mi  to,  in  the-e  modern  times.  What 
a  contrast  it  i>  from  our  former  notions  of  what 
the.M>  ancient  people  were!  These  late  discoveries 
iv\eal  the  tact  that  away  back  in  those  priiiicvul  times 
there  duclt  a  larire,  enterpri>inir,  and  nourishing  nation- 
ality ,  not  uf  ijnorrinrt-  and  licailicnish  darkness,  as  had 
IM-CU  >nj)pn>.-.l,  hut  nf  rivili/ation  and  culture.  Greece 
and  lu»mr  \vrn»  not  the  originators  of  civilization,  the 
art-  and  lOieDOeS,  tlir  plao-s  where  they  grew  up  spon- 
tan«'i»u-ly  lik«-  wcrd-  from  the  field,  then,  as  has  been 
hitherto  tauirht  and  believed  ;  but  what  they  possessed 
in  the  way  of  learninir,  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  was 
borrowed  from  an  older  and  higher  civilization,  one 
which  they  never  «••  Dialled  in  intellectual  and  scientific 
attainment-. 

It  will  pay,  thru,  to  retrace  our  steps  and  come  back 
to  the  old  Mal>le  liible  ground:  that  language,  civiliza- 
tion, and  culture  began  at  Eden,  and  were  transmitted 
teKMM  the  tlood  in  the  family  of  Noah,  and  thence  to 
his  de.x-end mts,  rather  than  having  been  evolved  with 
i lie  evolution  of  man  from  protoplasm,  and  through 
the  monkey  in  his  various  changes  and  links,  as  held  by 

-ollie. 

In  the  "  pM.nk  of  Mormon"  we  are  informed  that  up- 
wards of  twenty  centuries  before  the  birth  of  the 
Saviour  (at  the  fall  of  Babel  and  the  confusion  of 
tongues)  there  came  a  colony  out  from  this  old  Cushite 


258  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

civilization,  under  divine  guidance,  to  the  land  of 
America.  They  were  called  Jaredites,  and  they  brought 
with  them  the  civilization,  the  arts,  sciences,  habits, 
customs,  traditions,  and  language  of  their  day  and 
time.  The  Bible  account  is  :  — 

"  The  Lord  did  there  confound  the  language  of  all  the  earth: 
and  from  thence  did  the  Lord  scatter  them  abroad  upon  the 
face  of  all  the  earth."  —  Gen.  xi.  9. 

The  "Book  of  Mormon"  affirms  that  a  colony  came 
directly  from  the  tower  to  this  Western  Continent, 
and  the  Bible  says  God  "scattered  them  abroad  upon 
the  face  of  all  the  earth."  So  the  two  books  are  in 
accord.  The  people  of  this  old  colony  brought  with 
them  the  language  of  their  fathers  (for  their  speech 
was  not  confounded),  containing  Egyptian,  Chaldaic, 
Arabic,  Assyriac,  and  Ionic  letters,  the  old  alphabet 
from  which  "  all  the  alphabets  of  modern  Europe  have 
been  derived." 

Some  twelve  centuries  later  than  the  migration  of 
the  Jaredites  a  colony  of  Jews  left  Jerusalem,  and  in 
process  of  time  they,  also,  landed  in  America.  They 
understood  the  Hebrew  language  and  that  of  the  Egyp- 
tians :  the  latter  being  the  old  Cushite  tongue,  contain- 
ing whatever  of  change  that  time  and  circumstances 
had  caused  to  be  made  in  it  (including  that  of  miracle 
at  the  confusion  of  tongues),  and  they  made  this  lan- 
guage the  current  language  of  their  nation  and  people. 
They  called  it  the  "Keformed  Egyptian."  In  after 
years  the  Nephites  came  in  possession  of  the  written 
language  of  the  Jaredites,  the  records  of  the  Jaredites 


PBE8IDCNO1     \\i>    I'lMKSTHOOD.  259 

falling  into  their  hands.  One  of  these  nations  having 
,-pnkrn  the  old  Cu>liite  tongue,  pure  and  simple,  only 
as  changed  l»y  time  and  circumstances,  and  the  other, 
that  of  the  Ilel.reu  and  tlie  old  Cushite  tongue"re- 
furmed."  Jt  \\nuld  l»e  natural  for  them  to  retain  char- 
acters from  both  of  these  languages,  and  combine  and 
perpetuate  them  in  tho  rommou  language  of  the  nation. 
N  there  anything  surprising,  then,  in  the  discovery 
of  the  iveords  of  the-r  peoples,  that  they  should  be 
found  to  rontain  Hr!nv\v,  Greek,  Chaldaic,  Egyptian, 
and  Arahic  (hi  P  Would  it  not  be  more  sur- 

prising if  they  were  not  found?  Smith  was  right,  then, 
in  his  announcement  that  he  had  discovered  and  had  in 
his  possession  the  true  character^  u-ed  in  writing  by 
those  prehi>torie,  nation-,  and  Anthon's  statement  con- 
firm- that  of  Smith,  as  do  al>o  the  historical  facts  cited." 
Says  JoMah  IVie-l  :  — 

44  Hebrew  words  arc  found  ainon^  the  American  Indians  in 
considerable  variety.  They  are  of  Jewish  origin.'' 

So  also  declares  the  *  Book  of  Mormon." 

Again,  >av-  .Mr.  lialdwin:  — 

"  It  seems  to  me  impossible  for  any  free-minded  scholar  to 

Minly  tin?  traditions,  mythologies,  fragmentary  records,  mould- 

j  monuments,  and  other  remains  of  prehistoric  ages,  and 

fail  to  see  that  the  people  described  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures 

as  Cushites  were  the  original  eivilizers  of  Southwestern  Asia; 

and  that,  in  the  deepest  antiquity,  their  influence  was  estab- 

1   in   nearly  all  the  coast  regions,  from  the  extreme  east 

to  the  extreme  west  of  thei)ld  World."  —  Prehistoric  Nations, 

page  18. 

"  In  some  respects,  the  most  important  discovery  made  in 
Arabia  is  that  which  brings  to  light  the  old  language  of  the 


260  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

country,  and  shows  its  affinity  with  that  of  Egypt  and  of  West- 
ern Asia  in  the  earliest  times.  In  these  studies  nothing  is 
more  reliable  than  the  historical  revelations  of  the  science  of 
language. 

"It  is  now  beyond  question  that  this  Cushite  tongue,  found 
in  the  Chaldean  ruins,  and  traced  throughout  Western  Asia, 
was  the  ancient  language  of  Arabia."  —  Ibid.,  pages  88, 89. 

"  The  oldest  Cushite  alphabet  known  to  us  is  that  which  the 
Phoenicians  carried  to  Southern  and  Western  Europe,  which, 
however,  was  not  preserved  without  modification.  The  names 
of  its  letters,  and  some  of  their  forms,  show  that  it  was  de- 
rived originally  from  hieroglyphics.  Aleph  means  an  ox;  bit, 
bith,  or  beth,  a  house  or  temple;  and  gamel  or  gimel,  a  carnel. 
.  .  .  The  invention  of  this  alphabet,  from  which  all  the  alpha- 
bets of  modern  Europe  have  been  derived,  was  attributed  to 
the  Phoenicians.  .  .  .  The  original  country  of  the  Cushite  race, 
to  which  the  Phoenicians  belonged, — the  original  home  where 
this  culture  had  birth,  and  from  which  the  Cushite  colonies  and 
influence  went  forth  in  every  direction  to  spread  civilization, 
and  create  such  nations  as  Egypt  and  Chaldea,  —  was  not 
merely  the  little  district  of  Phoenicia  ;  it  was  the  whole  Arabian 
peninsula."  —  Ibid.,  page  94. 

Again :  — 

u  The  Cushite  origin  of  the  Phoenicians  is  shown  no  less 
distinctly  by  the  architectural  remains  of  their  oldest  cities.  In 
every  country  and  on  every  shore  where  the  old  Cushite  settle- 
ments are  traced,  are  found  the  remains  of  vast  constructions 
that  astonish  and  perplex  beholders.  They  are  found  in  Egypt, 
Nubia,  Arabia,  India,  Greece,  Italy,  Great  Britain,  and  Phoe- 
nicia. In  Chaldea,  where  there  was  no  stone,  there  were 
immense  structures  of  brick. 

"  According  to  the  uniform  and  explicit  testimony  of  Greek 
and  Koman  antiquity,  the  art  of  alphabetical  writing  was  brought 
into  existence,  or  first  diffused,  by  the  Phoenicians.  This  art 
was  evidently  originated  by  the  Arabian  Cushites,  in  ages 
older  than  Egypt  and  Chaldea."  —Ibid.,  pages  141, 167. 


H:II->TIIOOD.  261 

In   speaking   of  tin*   settlement  of  America  in  pre- 

historic  limes,  Mr.  lialdwin  further  says  :  — 

.is  seems  probable,  this   knowledge  was  a  reality,  the 
people  who  comnumicatr.l  with  AnuTK-a  must  have  gone  from 

thcgivat  nation  m-ah-d  nn  tin-  W.-M.TII  Mediterranean  by  the 
onunnnii  ••lishi'd  in   that  region."  — 

It  -hould   hr  borne  in   mind  that   this  is  the  precise 
point   \\hirhihe  "Hunk  of  Mormon  "  states  the  ancient 

inhabitant-  of  America  came  from,  some  twenty-two 
centuries  before  Chri>t.  Thr  >ame  country  and  the 
-aim-  people  to  uhidi  Mr.  Baldwin  refers. 

K  very  thing  points  to  the  conclusion  that  the  most  ancient 
inhabitants  of  Ann-rira  wnv  little  inferior  in  antiquity  to  the 
inhabitauU  of  the  Old  World/'  —  Prehistoric  America, 
NAI>.\  ;ige  500. 


tin-   veil    has    heen    pushed    hack    by   modern 
hrymid   thr   time  of  Moses,  or  Abraham,  or 
Homer,  or  Hesiod,  or  HaM,  when  "the  whole  earth 
of  one  laiiLruaire,  and  of  one  speech."     (Gen.  xi. 
1.)     And  the  world  is  found  to  have  been  populated 
with  a  rivili/rd,  progressive,  intelligent,  and  cultured 
race  of  people.     Their  architectural  remains  and  irn- 
inciiM'  superstructures  "astonish  all  beholders."     They 
the  world  wherever  this  people  colonized  or  dwelt. 
In  Arabia,  Chaldea,  Egypt,  Mesopotamia,  Ionia,  Ca- 
iiaai  ce,    Iiome,  Phoenicia,   and  in  Central  and 

North    America    their    footprints    are  the    same;    stu- 
pendous   buildings,    marvellous   superstructures,    that 


262  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

strike  with  awe  and  astonishment  all  who  make  their 
history  a  study.  The  same  people  who  built  in  Egypt, 
Chaldea,  Ionia,  and  Babel,  built  in  America,  and  before 
the  people  from  whom  the  Indians  descended  came 
here,  as  is  affirmed  in  the  "Book  of  Mormon."  This 
is  confirmed  by  the  Indian  himself.  Says  J.  W.  Fos- 
ter, LL.  D. :  - 

u  Whilst  the  Indians  are  notoriously  superstitious,  and  invent 
legends  which  they  attach  to  every  unusual  aspect  of  nature, 
with  regard  to  the  origin  of  the  mounds  their  statements  are 
uniform,  that  their  antiquity  reaches  back  to  a  period  beyond 
the  memory  of  their  ancestors,  who  saw  them  as  they  see  them, 
reposing  in  an  unbroken  solitude,  and  shaded  by  an  apparently 
primeval  forest."  — Prehistoric  Races  in  the  United  States,  page 
375. 

The  w  Book  of  Mormon  "  account  reads  as  follows  :  — 

"  The  king  said  unto  him,  Being  grieved  for  the  afflictions 
of  my  people,  I  caused  that  forty  and  three  of  my  people 
should  take  a  journey  into  the  wilderness  [in  South  America], 
that  thereby  they  might 'find  the  land  of  Zarahemla;  that  we 
might  appeal  unto  our  brethren  to  deliver  us  out  of  bondage. 
And  they  were  lost  in  the  wilderness  for  the  space  of  many 
days,  yet  they  were  diligent,  and  found  not  the  land  of  Zara- 
hemla, but  returned  to  this  land,  having  travelled  in  a  land 
among  many  waters;  having  discovered  a  land  which  was  cov- 
ered with  bones  of  men,  and  of  beasts,  etc.,  and  was  also 
covered  with  ruins  of  buildings  of  every  kind;  having  discov- 
ered a  land  which  had  been  peopled  with  a  people  who  were  as 
numerous  as  the  hosts  of  Israel.  And  for  a  testimony  that  the 
things  that  they  have  said  are  true,  they  have  brought  twenty- 
four  plates,  which  are  filled  with  engravings;  and  they  are  of 
pure  gold.  And  behold,  also,  they  have  brought  breastplates, 
which  are  large;  and  they  are  of  brass,  and  of  copper,  and  are 
perfectly  sound.  And  again,  they  have  brought  swords,  and  the 


ri;i>im  \«  v   AND   I'KiKSTiiooi).  263 

hilU  thereof  and  the  blades  thereof  are  cankered  with  rust; 
and  there  is  no  one  in  the  land  that  is  able  to  interpret  the 
language  or  tin-  eogravingfl  that  are  on  the  plates."  —Book  of 
Mormon,  pages  1 

:ory  i>  in  harmony  with  the  Indian  tradition; 
lliat  i  >,  a  "  uniform  Mah'inent  "  among  them  everywhere, 
tliat  the  iiiomid-lmildrrs  pivcrded  their  nation  in  set- 
tling in  Americ-i.  The  mound-builders  were  here  cen- 
turies —  twri\  »•  oenturiea  —before  the  progenitors  of 

th«-  Indian-  cording  to  the  "  Hook  of  Mormon," 

and  this  kinir  who  M»nt  out  I'm  ty  men  in  sean-h  of 
friend-,  W18M  Ancestor  of  the  Indian  race.  The  "Book 
of  Mormon  "  and  other  ivliahle  hi>lory  airree. 

The  ol«l  Cn-hile  people  that  came  from  Babel  became, 

divid.-d  as  a   nation,  warred  amonir  themselves,  about 

dony  of  Jews,  the  ancestors  of  the 

Indian-,  Irft  Jcrn-alem  in   the   days  of  Zedekiah,  king 
of   .Jtidah,   and     thry    became    exterminated.      Nothing 
\\asleft   but   thrir  monmnents,  mounds,  and   mammoth 
,  Miper-trnctures,    built   aires    before,    that    the    Indian 
nothinir    more    of  than    the   white   man.     The 
:iy  from  Jrru.-alein  iinally  i>ossessed  their  history, 
hourvrr,    Irarnrd    of  their  origin  and  great  calamity, 
and  reinlubited  tlieir  de-erted  lands,  which  they  called 
lion,"  the  account  of  which  is  found  in  the  "Book 
of  Mormon."      N<  .\\  ,  . ould  Mr.  Smith  have  guessed  all 
this  out,  and  have  it  accord  with  the  facts  and  particu- 
lar- of  laler  ivvealmcnt>, — conjured  it  out  of  his  own 
head?      It  is  ra>;erlo  believe  in  miracles  than  to  believe 
that  In- could  have  done  BO.     There  2*  something,  then, 
to  support  the  claims  of  the  "Book  of  Mormon." 


264  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

Further,  it  is  known  that  the  oldest  nation  that 
inhabited  America  has  long  since  been  exterminated. 
So  says  the  "  Book  of  Mormon."  So  says  tradition.  So 
says  modern  research.  The  evidences  point  out  the 
fact  that  it  was  sudden  and  complete.  People  left  their 
daily  pursuits,  as  did  the  people  of  Pompeii  and  Her- 
culaneum  at  the  time  of  the  great  eruption  of  Vesuvius, 
as  if  made  aware  that  some  awful  impending  doom 
awaited  them  ;  they  quit  their  mining  camps  with  the 
coveted  ore  partially  and  altogether  out  of  the  earth, 
which  was  of  immense  value,  and  never  returned  to 
claim  it.  They  may  have  left  it  with  some  hope  of 
returning,  but  went  down  to  death  before  the  power  of 
the  enemy.  So  the  great  nation  became  extinct.  God's 
ways  are  not  as  man's  ways.  This  utter  destruction 
was  presaged  long  before  it  came  to  pass,  by  the 
Prophet  Jeremiah,  as  follows  :  — 

"  Flee,  get  you  far  off  [Hebrew,  flit  greatly],  dwell  deep 
[that  is,  go  in  secret],  O  ye  inhabitants  of  Hazor,  saith  the 
Lord  ;  for  Nebuchadrezzar  king  of  Babylon  hath  taken  coun- 
sel against  you,  and  hath  conceived  a  purpose  against  you. 
Arise,  get  you  up  unto  the  wealthy  nation,  that  dwelleth  without 
care,  saith  the  Lord,  which  have  neither  gates  nor  bars,  which 
dwell  alone.  And  their  camels  shall  be  a  booty,  and  the  multi- 
tude of  their  cattle  a  spoil:  and  I  will  scatter  into  all  winds 
them  that  are  in  the  utmost  corners;  and  I  will  bring  their 
calamity  from  all  sides  thereof,  saith  the  Lord."  —  Jer.  xlix. 
30-32. 
H 

Nebuchadrezzar   had    decreed  war    and   destruction 

against  Jerusalem  and  the  Jews,  and  the  nations  round 
about.  Hazor  was  the  old  capital  of  the  land,  and  the 
prophet  uses  this  name  instead  of  Jerusalem  in  deliv- 


PRESIDENCY    AND    I'KIKSTHOOD.  265 

enni:  this  warning  to  certain  of  the  inhabitants  to  "Flee, 
tar   oil',  dwell  (loop,"  "get  you  up  unto  the 

iliy  nation,  that  dwelleth  without  care,"  and  "I  will 
luiiiLT  their  calamity  from  all  sid«  There  was  no 

nation  in  the  Eastern  world  that  dwelt  without  care  or 
tVar  fr«  »mother  nations,  that  had  neither  bars  nor  gates. 
It  i-  nini:  the  sway  of  the  kingdom  of  Baby- 

lon, "  And  whr:  the  children  of  men  dwell,  the 

!'  the  field  and  the  fowls  of  the  heaven  hath  he 

n  into  thine  hand,  and  hath  made  thce  ruler  over 
thrm  all.  Thou  art  this  head  of  gold."  (Dan.  ii.  38.) 
Tin  rr  were  no  inhabitants  in  the  Kastcrn  world  who 
did  not  >erve  the  powerful  kingdoms  of  Habylon,  Medo- 
Pereia,  Macedonia,  etc.  \\'e  must  look  elsewhere  for 
one  that  dwells  alone  and  without  care. 

The  "P>.>ok  of  Mormon"  allirms  that  about  the  time 
that  the  kinir  <>f  I»ahylon  laid  siege  against  Jerusalem, 
that  the  Lord  led  a  few  families  of  Jews  to  the  continent 
of  America.  line  they  settled,  and  here  they  found 
that  a  irreat  ami  powerful  nation  had  preceded  them, 
and  for  some  unknown  cause  to  them  had  been  utterly 
de-t  roved.  Nothing  was  left  as  memorials  but  the  work 
of  by-gono  ages.  Their  mounds,  pyramids,  dwelling- 
plaee-,  implements  of  agriculture  and  war  testified  of 
their  LTeatness.  They  had  neither  "bars  nor  gates," 
bul  dwelt  "alone."  The  Indian  is  right,  then,  when  he 
Hiyfl  the  mounds  were  here  when  his  ancestors  came,. 
the  "  P.nok  of  Mormon/'  the  Bible,  and  historical  facts 

beillLr   in  evidence. 

TheoldCushite  and  Semitic  peoples  were  necessarily 
the  early  descendant-  of  the  patriarch  Noah.  Near 


266  PRESIDENCY    AND   PPtTESTHOOBf. 

relatives,  or  the  immediate  offspring  of  Shem,  Ham, 
and  Japheth  first  located  away  back  in  old  Arabia, 
thence  around  the  Persian  Gulf,  and  finally  settled  in 
Chaldea,  Egypt,  Canaan,  Mesopotamia,  and  Ionia,  or 
Western  Asia.  They  carried  with  them  the  language, 
civilization,  traditions,  and  scientific  and  architectural 
knowledge  that  they  had  attained.  On  this  point  says 
Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.  :  — 

u  The  plains  of  Lower  Mesopotamia  had  long  been  the  seat 
of  an  ancient  people  when  the  forefathers  of  Abraham  wan- 
dered towards  them  from  the  south,  that  is,  from  Arabia. 
Known  to  us  as  Accadians,  and  doubtless  connected  with  the 
Accad  mentioned  in  Genesis  (x.  10),  they  had  literature  and  a 
high  civilization  peculiar  to  themselves.  Columns  of  Accadian, 
or  early  Chaldaic,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  are  found  accompa- 
nied, side  by  side,  by  Assyrian  words  to  explain  them,  as 
already  obsolete.  ...  So  strangely  remote,  however,  was  the 
rise  of  this  civilization,  that  all  the  great  temple  structures  of 
Babylonia  were  founded  by  kings  who  must  have  reigned 
earlier  than  the  sixteenth  century  before  Christ.  .  .  .  Nor  was 
their  empire  famous  only  for  architecture.  The  Accadians  had 
already  distinguished  themselves  by  careful  astronomical  obser- 
vations and  calculations  ;  had  a  careful  graded  system  of 
weights  and  measures;  a  money  system  skilfully  settled;  and 
a  literature  of  which  copious  remains  are  new  found  in  Euro- 
pean museums,  embracing  works  on  geography,  astrology, 
mythology,  grammar,  and  mathematics.  .  .  .  On  this  busy 
scene  of  the  very  dawn  of  time,  a  new  people  after  a  while 
appeared,  wandering  from  Arabia  to  the  south  of  Babylonia, 
and  settling  first  in  and  around  Ur,  tbe  present  Mugheir,  in  the 
delta  of  the  Euphrates.  This  was  the  race  from  a  branch  of 
which  Abraham  was,  hereafter,  to  spring,  for  they  were  of 
Semitic  stock.  Steadily  fighting  their  way  north,  they  slowly 
mastered  the  Accadians,  and  became  their  rulers." — Hours 
with  the  Bible,  pages  25,  26?  27. 


PKKMDI  \<  V    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  267 

Again  :  — 

"  Tin-  p'-rtVction  to  which  the  art  of  writing  had  arrived  so 
soon  itnrod  may  well  lead  us  to  believe  it  was  an  art 

transmit  t  id   fmm  across  the  waters  of  the  deluge.     The  old 
,>han  account  of   the  creation,  so  strangely  recovered,  is 
inti  n-.  ly  inteivsting,  at  once  for  comparison  and  contrast  with 
thai  Only  two  tahlets  out  of  at  least  five  have 

aa  yet  been  found."  —  76uJ.,  pa^r 

Dr.  (ieikie    pves   tlu»    t  mishit  ion    of  these   tablets, 

Compares  them  with  tin-  fir-t   chapters  of  (ienesis  con- 

inir   the   creation,  and   concludes   his  comments  as 

-  :  — 


-tory  of   '  Kftted    hrfore    Moses,  in   its 

Com]  li  as  a  whole  and  in  detail,  and  even  in  the 

;its/'  —  /  «'  3G. 

Thi-  Mrrniint   is  in  h:innony  with  the  claims  of  the 
I-         "f  Mormon/'  that  there  was  a  civilized  and  cul- 
tmvi!    ia««-  nt'  |.r..jih»   that   dwelt   upon  the  plains  of 
Shinar  at    thr   time  nf  tln^  building  of  Babel  and  the 
eunt'n-ioii  of  to?.  I  a  knowledge  of  the 

ition,  Noah,  and  the  Hood.  The  w  Book  of  Mormon  " 
aUo  affirms  that  it  was  from  this  place  and  from  among 
the  people  dwelling  there  that  a  colony  emigrated  at 
the  confusion  of  tongues,  and  found  a  home  upon  this 
lern  Continent  in  Central  America.  They  repre- 
sented all  of  culture,  tradition,  and  written  history 
known  to  this  old  civilization,  possessing  a  knowledge 
of  letter-,  the  ait-  and  sciences,  Noah,  the  flood,  and 
the  creation,  with  the  methods  of  building  the  marvel- 
lous Mi|u  iMrnctnres  erected  by  that  people,  having 
even  seen  the  tower  of  Babel  itself. 


268  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

Thi's  position  is  supported  by  the  scientific  findings 
made  in  Central  America,  revealing  traditions  of  Noah, 
the  flood,  the  ark,  and  the  creation  of  the  world, 
together  with  stupendous  superstructures  of  various 
kinds,  and  great  pyramids  that  rival  any  found  in  the 
Old  World,  and  abundant  evidence  of  various  kinds, 
showing  that  at  one  time  there  existed  in  that  country 
an  intelligent  and  powerful  nation  of  people.  The  evi- 
dence goes  to  show  that  they  must  have  been  of  the  old 
Cushite  and  Semitic  race  and  culture  that  built  Arabia, 
Egypt,  Chaldea,  Western  Asia,  Greece,  Rome,  and 
Canaan,  thus  confirming  what  was  announced  in  the 
"Book  of  Mormon,"  long  before  these  scientific  dis- 
coveries were  made.  This  is  further  corroborative 
proof  that  Smith's  claim  to  having  had  in  his  posses- 
sion genuine  characters  of  a  prehistoric  people  who 
inhabited  America  was  correct.  But  the  evidence 
accumulates. 

Continues  Mr.  Baldwin  :  — 

"  To  find  the  chief  seats  and  most  abundant  remains  of  the 
most  remarkable  civilization  of  this  old  American  race,  we 
must  go  still  farther  south  into  Central  America  and  some  of 
the  more  southern  states  of  Mexico.  Here  ruins  of  many 
ancient  cities  have  been  discovered,  cities  which  must  have 
been  deserted  and  left  to  decay  in  ages  previous  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Aztec  supremacy.  Most  of  these  ruins  were  found 
buried  in  dense  forests,  where,  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish  con- 
quest, they  had  been  long  hidden  from  observation. 

"  The  chief  peculiarity  of  these  ruins,  that  which  especially 
invites  attention,  is  the  evidence  they  furnish  that  their  build- 
ers had  remarkable  skill  in  architecture  and  architectural 
ornamentation.  All  who  have  visited  them  bear  witness  that 
the  workmanship  was  of  a  high  order.  The  rooms  and  corn- 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  269 

dors  in  these  edifices  were  finely  and  often  elaborately  finished, 
plaster,  ri  id  sculpture  being  used.  Throughout,"  he 

again  says  (quoting  Stephens),  u  the  laying  and  polishing  of  the 
stones  are  as  as  under  the  rules  of  the  best  modern 

masonry.  .  .  .  The  nrnammtatinn  is  no  less  remarkable  than 
the  masonry  and  architectural  finish."  —  Ancient  America, 
pages  93  and  99. 

Tin-  drfeats  tin*  old  position  that  the  prehistoric 
nations  that  inhabited  America  were  suvages  or  but 
:-ci\  ili/.rd,  that  was  current  in  the  world  at  the 
time  of  the  publication  of  the  "Hook  of  Mormon,"  and 
>npporN  tin-  historical  account  found  in  the  "Book  of 
mmi, "that  tln-v  \\.-re  an  enlightened,  cultured,  and 
rni.-rprUiiiLr  niCQ  of  people,  and  this  information  was 
ohlaim-d  from  tin  •  iiarartrr-  in  Smith's  possession. 

The  Marquis  de  Nada  iliac,  author  of  "Prehistoric 
Amrrira,"  in  \\ritini:  of  the  old  civilization  of  Peru, 
says  :  — 

in  the  world,  prrhap-,  lia-  man  displayed  greater 
<iy.    It  was  in  these  desolate  regions  that  arose  the  most 
j. . •  \\rrful  and  m«>xt  highly  civili/rd  rmpire  of  the  two  Americas, 
and  at   tin-  pn-mt  day  ii-  im-mnry  is  everywhere  preserved  in 
tin-  imp. .-in-  niins  covrrim:  the  country,  the  fortresses  defend- 
ccting  it,  the  accquias,  or  canals,  conduct- 
in-  tin-  watrr  Deeded  for  fertilizing  the  fields,  the   tambos  or 
ImiiM-s  of  n-fuge,  in  the  mountains  for  the  use  of  travellers,  the 
potteries,  the    linen   and  cotton  cloth,  and  the   ornaments  of 
gold  an«l  iled  in  the  groves,  and  which  are  sought 

for  by  tin-  Tapadas  with  insatiable  zeal. 

•  Tin-  •  mpire  of  the  Incas,  of  which  we  are  now  to  speak, 
was  tin-  nd  miles  in  li-nijth  by  four  hundred  in  width. 

It   inrlnd.d  within  its  limits  Peru,  Bolivia,  Ecuador,  part 
Of  <  mine  Republic."  -  Prehistoric  America, 

p:iL'e  888. 


270  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

Keeping  in  mind  that  this  was  the  identical  region 
that  the  "  Book  of  Mormon  "  affirms  that  the  intelligent 
and  refined  colony  of  Jews  settled  some  six  hundred 
years  before  Christ,  and  introduced  all  of  science,  and 
art,  and  enterprise  peculiar  to  the  Jews,  Egyptians, 
and  other  kindred  nations  of  those  times,  and  this  is  a 
great  acquisition  in  confirmation  of  the  truthfulness  of 
that  record.  In  1830,  when  the  "Book  of  Mormon" 
was  published,  these  things  were  not  known,  and  were 
not  discovered  until  after  the  year  1841,  and  by  far  the 
larger  proportion  much  later,  except  some  superficial 
view  of  some  of  the  ancient  ruins  may  have  been  had 
by  the  warring  Spaniards  that  entered  some  parts  of 
the  country. 

The  "Book  of  Mormon"  says,  that  there  was  a 
decadence  in  after  centuries  of  the  intelligent  race  that 
settled  in  that  country  ;  that  their  enemies,  an  ignorant 
and  warlike  race,  prevailed  against  them,  and  the 
refined  nation  was  utterly  destroyed,  and  their  civiliza- 
tion obliterated  by  their  vicious,  stupid,  and  blood- 
thirsty conquerors.  Mr.  Nadaillac  confirms  this  as 
follows  :  — 

"  In  every  direction,  for  an  extent  of  several  leagues  [describ- 
ing the  ruins  of  a  vast  ancient  city],  long  lines  of  massive 
walls,  huacas,  palaces,  aqueducts,  reservoirs  of  water,  and 
granaries  can  be  made  out.  Everything  proves  the  power  and 
wealth  of  a  people,  the  very  name  of  whom  has  remained  uncer- 
tain."—  Ibid.,  page  395. 

Again :  — 

"  At  every  turn  South  America  presents  vestiges  of  a  van- 
ished race,  of  a  culture  now  lost;  and  we  are  alwa}7s  compelled 
to  one  conclusion  as  to  our  absolute  powerlessness  to  decide  on 


ri:i>iM\.v    AND    I'IMKSTIIOOD.  271 

th«  origin  or  cause  of  the  decadence  of  these  races,  now  repre- 
sent. .iseniMe  savages  without  a  past,  as  without  a 

future."  —  I  hul..  page  465. 


"Hunk    of  Mormon"  affirms   that  this   ancient 
nation  not    onl\  ;he  art  of  writing,  but  that 

tli'-y  \\roh-  (  engraved)  upon  metallic  plates,  —  gold, 
tc.  The  plates  in  Mr.  Smith's  posses- 
-ion,  tVnm  which  the  characters  in  question  were  taken, 
\\eiv  -old,  abi.ut  as  thick  as  common  tin,  and  beauti- 
fully d.  Iii  is;4,!),  wlim  the  "Book  of  Mormon" 

grafl  lir-i  publi-hed,  we  were  told  that  savages  did  not 
,  and  knew  nothing  of  gold  plates  (indicating 
that  a  civili/ed  and  intelligent  people  never  lived  upon 
the  continent  of  America);  but  Mr.  Xadaillac  writes, 
on  paire  11:;  «•!'  his  work,  in  speaking  of  the  Temple  of 
the  Sun,  and  snys  it  was  named  the  "town  of  gold." 
-  having  .seen,  in  various  houses  in 
CU/CM,  >herts  of  gold  preserved  as  relics  which  came 
from  the  Temple  <>f  the  Sun.  These  plaques,  he  tells 
US,  were  scarcely  as  thick  as  a  common  sheet  of  paper." 
This,  too,  confirms  Smith's  announcement.  They  "were 
acquainted  with  bron/e,  copper,  tin,  lead,  gold,  and 
silver,"  and  "  their  chief  object  was  the  fabrication  of 
gold  and  silver  objects."  (Ibid.,  page  463.) 

Further,  Mr.  Stephens,  after  having  explored  the 
old  ruins  of  PaleiKjiie,  "palaces,  temples,  and  public 
huildiiii:-,"  concludes  his  description  and  remarks  con- 
ceriiini:  what  he  saw,  as  follows:  — 

"What  \\<  hail  In-fore  our  eyes  was  grand,  curious,  and  re- 
rnarkal>l<!  ciMm-li.  Here  were  the  remains  of  a  cultivated,  pol- 
ished, and  peculiar  people,  who  had  passed  through  all  the 


272  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

stages  incident  to  the  rise  and  fall  of  nations,  reached  their 
golden  age,  and  perished  entirely  unknown.  The  links  that 
connected  them  with  the  human  family  were  severed  and  lost, 
and  these  were  the  only  memorials  of  their  footsteps  upon 
earth.  We  lived  in  the  ruined  palace  of  their  kings,  we  went 
up  to  their  desolate  temples  and  fallen  altars,  and  wherever 
we  moved  we  saw  the  evidence  of  their  taste,  their  skill  in 
arts,  their  wealth  and  power."  —  STEPHENS,  Travels  in  Central 
America,  Chiapas,  and  Yucatan,  Yol.  II.,  page  356. 

Speaking    of  the    ruins    of   Palcnque,    Mr.    Short 

says  :  — 

"Four  hundred  yards  south  of  the  palace  stands  the  ruins  of 
a  pyramid  and  temple.  .  .  .  The  temple  faces  the  east,  and  on 
the  western  wall  of  its  inner  apartment,  itself  facing  the  east- 
ern light,  is  found  (or  rather  was,  for  it  has  now  entirely  disap- 
peared) the  most  beautiful  specimen  of  stucco  relief  in  America. 
M.  Waldec,  with  the  critical  insight  of  an  experienced  artist, 
declares  it '  worthy  to  be  compared  to  Xhe  most  beautiful  works 
of  the  age  of  Augustus.'  He  therefore  named  the  temple  the 
Beau  Belief.  .  .  .  Correctness  of  design  and  graceful  outlines 
predominate  to  such  an  extent,  that  we  may  safely  pronounce 
the  beautiful  youth  who  sits  enthroned  in  his  elaborate  and 
artistic  throne,  the  American  Apollo.  In  the  original  drawing 
the  grace  of  the  arms  and  wrists  is  truly  matchless,  and  the 
chest  and  muscles  are  displayed  in  the  most  perfect  manner." 
"The  next  subject  of  interest  to  the  student  of  sculpture  is 
found  in  the  Temple  of  the  Cross,  in  the  inmost  sanctuary  of 
.  all,  and  is  known  as  the  tablet  of  the  cross.  Three  stones  cov- 
ered most  of  the  surface  of  the  rear  wall  of  the  sanctum  sancto- 
rum, and  present  an  area  six  feet,  four  inches  high,  by  ten  feet 
eight  inches  wide.  .  .  .  The  two  lateral  stones  (the  left-hand 
one  being  shown  in  our  cut)  are  covered  with  hieroglyphics, 
which  begin  at  the  left-hand  upper  corner  with  a  large  capital 
letter.  ...  By  referring  to  the  hieroglyphic  tablet  at  the  left 
of  the  cross,  it  will  be  observed  that  just  below  the  large  initial 
or  word  is  a  threefold  hieroglyphic,  while  seven  others  in  the 


PftESIDENi  v    AND   i'K!i:>ni()oi>.  273 

same  column  are  double.  This  would  indicate,  we  should  think, 
that  tin-  duUDBClm  irere  read  from  the  top  downwards."  —  The 
North  Americans,  by  SHOUT,  pa-es  ;;s7-301. 

Hen-   is  skill  rxhihitrd   in  architecture,  science,  and 
tin-  art-,  ami  tin-  \\uik  BO  lixrd,  and  sturdy,  and  beau- 
tiful, ifl   lo   l.c  \\Mi-iliy  to   he  compaml  with  the  finest 
fob  known.     A  lani:uai:r,  a  writing,  is  also  revealed, 
-  iM-auiifnl  niLrra\  mirs —  and  straniM' to  announce,  like 
Mr.  Smith's  rh.,  .-ulrd  to  Prof.  Anthon,  they 

I  in  rulmmi-,  and  arc  supposed  to  have  been 
1  from  top  to  bottom.      Smith's  characters  are  still 
1  to  ln»  in  the  line  of  tart-, 
•lirr  :  — 

44  We  must  give  attention  to  one  fact  that  has  peculiar  signifi- 

says  Mr.    Haldwin.      4k  The   zodiac,  representing  the 

apparent  path  of  the  sun  in  the  heavens,  with  the  name  and 

of  its  signs  substantially  the  same,  was  coin- 

iii"n  to  c  ,  pt,  and  Arabia.     Sometimes  eleven 

signs  were  counted,  the  < -laws  of  the  scorpion  representing  the 

i  known  as  I.ihra.    Sextus,  Empiricus,  and  others  stated  that 

ic,  as  we  have  it,  came  directly  from  the  Chaldeans. 

iiihuity  of  the  zodiacs  used  in  Egypt,  India,  and 

the  countries  of  Western  Asia  shows  that  they  must  have  had 

a  common  origin,  and  to  find  their  origin  we  must  go  to  the 

older  people  who  gave  all  these  countries  civilization,  and  pre- 

1  them  to  become  great.'*  —  Prehistoric  Nations,  page  117. 

Admitting  this  announcement  as  true,  that  the  zodiac 
had  a  common  origin  among  all  of  the  Old  World  peo- 
plr>,  thr  (iivrk-  a nd  Romans  having  received  it  from 
ilir  Chaldransand  Egyptians,  the  argument  is  still  in 
>r  of  tin;  rlaims  of  the  "Book  of  Mormon,"  for 
a  knowledge  of  the  zodiac  and  astronomy  was  had 


274  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

among  the  prehistoric  people  that  inhabited  Central 
America,  of  whom  it  is  affirmed  that  they  came  out 
from  the  ancient  Chaldeans,  and  possessed  a  knowledge 
of  their  arts  and  learning.  They  also  understood 
astronomy,  and  had  astronomical  instruments  and 
observatories. 

The  following  is  in  proof  that  the  prehistoric  peoples 
of  America  did  possess  a  knowledge  of  the  zodiac, 
the  same  as  the  ancient  Chaldeans,  Egyptians,  Ara- 
bians, and  Greeks  :  — 

"  The  calendar  system  of  Mayas  and  Nahuas  present  analo- 
gies to  the  system  employed  by  the  Persians,  Egyptians,  and 
certain  Asiatic  nations,  and  the  presumption  is  very  strong  that 
the  latter  furnished  the  ground-plan  upon  which  the  Nahua 
system  was  constructed.  The  accuracy  of  the  Aztec  calendar 
must  ever  be  a  monument  to  their  intellectual  culture,  and  an 
undeniable  proof  of  the  advanced  state  of  ancient  Mexican 
civilization."  —  North  Americans,  by  SHORT,  page  519. 

Again  :  — 

"The  antiquities  of  Mexico  and  Central  America  reveal 
religious  symbols,  devices,  and  ideas  nearly  identical  with  those 
found  in  all  countries  of  the  Old  World  where  Cushite  commu- 
nities formerly  existed.  .  .  .  He  [Humboldt]  found  evidence  of 
it  in  the  religious  symbols,  the  architecture,  the  hieroglyphics, 
and  the  social  customs  made  manifest  by  ruins,  which  he  was 
sure  came  from  the  other  side  of  the  ocean."  —  Prehistoric 
Nations ,  page  393. 

Further :  — 

"The  ruins  show  that  they  had  the  art  of  writing,  and  that 
at  the  south  this  art  was  more  developed,  more  like  a  phonetic 
system  of  writing,  than  that  found  in  use  among  the  Aztecs. 
The  inscriptions  of  Palenque,  and  the  characters  used  in  some 
of  the  manuscript  books  that  have  been  preserved,  are  not  the 
same  as  the  Mexican  picture-writing.  It  is  known  that  books 


ri:i->im:vv  AND  PKIESTHOOD.  275 

or  mann-cnj.t  irritingfl  wnv  abundant  among  them  in  the  ages 
jM-riod.     They  had  an  accurate  measure 

of  tin-  lol  ii'l  a  >v*t<-m  of  chronology,  and  many  of  their 

writing  wnv  hi>i«>rical/'  —  Ancient  America,  page  187. 

Here  i-  furnished  ample  support  (and  this  is  not  a 
lithe  at  hand;  f"i'  Mi'-  Smith's  characters,  which  were 
Mibmitted  t<>  Prut.  Anthon  and  Dr.  Mitchell,  even 

pi'mi:  ili«-   statement   of   Prof.  Anthon  himself,  as 

having  had   a   legit imate  origin,  and  were  true  charac- 

•  laimed.  -    "Greek,"  "Hrlnvw,"  "  Konmu    let- 

t«  i  -,"  "  llouri-hr-,"  "  rirclr^  "  etc., —  rather  than  to  pre- 

ptiiMudy  i  iHirlude  them  to  liave  heen  a  fraud,  and 
obtained  l.y  mp\  in-  from  the  Greek,  Hebrew,  and 
olher  ancient  alphal)et>,  .-imply  because  no  one  believed, 
at  that  time,  in  the  administration  of  angels,  or  that  a 
eivili/ed  and  highly  ctillivated  people  had  at  one  time 

It  upon  ih;-  cuntinent  previous  to  its  discovery  by 
The  illiterate  Smith  believed  in  both,  and 
advocated  both  Afl  being  true  in  fact,  having  obtained 
his  knowledge  from  the  characters  upon  the  plates. 
The  latter  claim  j-  ;iu\\  (.  .needed  by  every  one.  Smith's 
fur.  \en  by  divine  in.-piration,  was  a  long  way 

ahead  of  the  .scholar. 
Further  :  — 

u  The  ruins  of  ancient  Peru  are  found  chiefly  on  the  elevated 
hct \\ccn  Quito  and  Lake  Titieaca, 

hut   th.y  can  h«    traced    live    hundred  miles  farther  south   to 

(hi!  i  he  region  connecting  these  high  plateaus 

with  lie  coast.     The  great  di>trict  to  which  they  belong 

extends  north  and  south  about  two  thousand  miles.  .  .  .  The 

.vian   ratafl    -how    n-    remains  of  cities,  temples,  palaces, 

-  of  various  kinds,  fortresses,  aqueducts  (one  of 


276  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

them  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  long),  great  roads  (extending 
through  the  whole  length  of  the  empire),  and  terraces  on  the 
sides  of  mountains.  For  all  these  constructions  the  builders 
used  cut  stone  laid  in  mortar  or  cement,  and  their  work  was 
done  admirably." 

Cieca  de  Leon,  speaking  of  the  ruins  of  Lake  Titicaca, 
says :  - 

"There  are  stones  so  large  and  so  overgrown  that  our 
wonder  is  incited,  it  being  incomprehensible  how  the  power  of 
man  could  have  placed  them  where  we  see  them.  .  .  .  Large 
gateways  with  hinges,  platforms,  and  porches,  eaph  made  of  a 
single  stone.  It  surprised  me  to  see  these  enormous  gateways 
made  of  great  masses  of  stone,  some  of  which  were  thirty  feet 
long,  fifteen  high,  and  six  thick. 

u  In  some  respects,  the  Peruvian  civilization  was  developed 
to  such  a  degree  as  challenged  admiration.  The  Peruvians 
were  highly  skilled  in  agriculture  and  in  some  kinds  of  manu- 
factures. No  people  ever  had  a  more  efficient  system  of 
industry.  This  created  their  wealth,  and  made  possible  their 
great  public  works."  —  Ancient  America,  by  BALDWIN,  pages 
222,  223,  232,  233,  and  247. 

These  citations  speak  for  themselves.  The  ancient 
remains  to  which  they  refer  are  located  precisely  where 
the  "Book  of  Mormon  "  assigns  them,  or  rather  where 
it  affirms  the  ancient  inhabitants  made  their  first  and 
among  their  largest  settlements. 

u  No  American  people,"  says  the  Marquis  de  Nadaillac, 
u  has  surpassed  the  Peruvians  in  the  manufacture  of  woven 
tissues.  The  cotton  they  cultivated  in  the  warm  and  .humid 
valleys,  with  the  wool  of  llamas,  alpacas,  and  vicunas,  supplied 
excellent  material.  They  knew  the  art  of  dyeing,  the  stuff  was 
often  woven  in  wool  of  different  colors,  and  by  this  means  the 
most  varied  designs  were  obtained  in  the  woof.  The  cotton 
cloths,  generally  of  great  fineness,  were  dyed  in  different  colors, 


ri;i>ii>r.\<  ^    AND   PKIKM  HOOD.  277 

and  the  workmen    knew  how,  hy  o. inhibitions  of  ornaments 
or  li  0   obtain    the    im»t    happy   results."  —  Prehistoric 

Americ 

This   further   confirms  the   claim    that   there  was  a 

highly  ri\ili/rd  and  mlt  ivatrd  race,  who  dwelt  in  South 

Amrrira  in  pivhi>ioric  times,  as  announced  in  the  inter- 

•i  of  the  rhara«-ters  in  Jo-rpli  Smith's  possession. 

Let  us  examine  a  little  further  into  the  facts  relatin^ 

o 

tu  ilie  mound-luiilders.     On  this  subject,  Mr.  Baldwin 
writes  as  follows  :  — 

14  4  ly  of  what  is  shown  in    the  many  reports  on 

ancient  remains  seems  plainly  to  authorize  the  conclusion 
that  the  moimd-huilders  entered  the  country  at  the  south,  and 
began  tin  :m-nt.s  near  the  Gulf." 

So  declared  >mith'>  rliarartrr-,  long  before  these 
scientific  discoveries  were  made. 

-  l.Ymains  of  their  works  have  been  traced  through  a  great 
country.     They  are  found  in  West  Virginia,  and  are 
spread  through  Michigan.  Wisconsin,  and  Iowa  to  Nebraska. 
MOM  numerous  in  ( )hio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Mis- 
souri, Arkansas,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Louisiana,  Mississippi, 

•rida,  and  Texas. 

"That  appears  to  me  the  most  reasonable  suggestion  which 
assumes  that  the  mound-builders  came  originally  from  Mexico 

and  Central  Am.  ri<  a Coming  from  Mexico  and  Central 

America,  they  would  begin  their  settlements  on  the  Gulf  coast, 
and  after  dvance  gradually  up  the  river  to  the  Ohio 

Valley.    It  seems  evident  that  they  came  by  this  route."  — 
Ancient  America,  pages  31  and  70. 

This  further  confirms  the  statements  found  in  the 
"Book  of  Mormon/'  that  the  first  settlements  made 
upon  thin  continent,  in  primeval  times,  were  made  in 


278  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

Central  and  South  America,  and  that  the  migrations  of 
the  people  were  from  south  to  north. 

Bear  In  mind  that  Peru  is  the  identical  spot,  or  nearly 
so,  affirmed  by  the  "  Book  of  Mormon  "  that  the  colony 
of  Nephites  landed  that  came  out  from  Jerusalem  six 
hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  the  Saviour,  and 
commenced  to  build  a  nation  and  people  in  South 
America.  The  way-marks  in  the  "Book  of  Mormon" 
are  clearly  and  definitely  set  out,  so  there  can  be  no 
mistaking  the  locality.  This  finding  of  antiquated 
cities  ;  great  roads,  that  cost  an  immense  capital  and 
skill  to  make  them  (one  single  road  in  Peru  is  supposed 
to  have  cost  more  to  build  it  than  it  did  to  build  the 
whole  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway)  ;  aqueducts  extend- 
ing hundreds  of  miles;  reservoirs  and  cisterns;  mag- 
nificent temples,  palaces,  towers,  and  monuments  ;  with 
utensils  of  ordinary  use  in  life  among  thriving,  enter- 
prising, and  intelligent  communities,  —  all  unite  to  con- 
firm the  story  of  the  "Book  of  Mormon,"  that  this  was 
the  seat  of  a  thrifty,  intelligent,  and  industrious  pre- 
historic people ;  yet  these  discoveries,  so  far  as  being 
made  known  to  the  great  world,  have  been  made  since 
the  publication  of  the  "Book  of  Mormon."  Did  Smith 
guess  at  this,  and  put  it  in  the  plates?  or  did  he  really 
get  it  from  the  plates  himself,  as  claimed?  Which  is 
the  more  reasonable  ?  Smith  never  travelled,  and  knew 
but  little  of  letters,  so  he  could  not  have  acquired  this 
information.  No  other  person  could,  for  these  discov- 
eries were  not  then  made. 

The  writer  of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon  "  could  not  have 
known,  were  it  but  the  emanations  of  some  mere  man 


I'KKMM  SI)    I'KIKSTHOOD.  279 

who  lived  in  these  modern  timr>,  ibr  this  fact  was  not 
«!«•!. -niiiiu'd  li-t.s  at  the  time  of  his  publica- 

tion, hut  longsiihv.      Human  sagacity  could  not  have 
ilHiTinined  it  from  auythinir  known  in  the  world.     The 
guesses  (?)  of  the  "Hook  of  Mormon"  proved  to  be 
:ilid  and  18  the  predictions  of  the  Bible.     Is  it 

Consistent,  then,  to  declare  one  to  be  reliable,  and  to 
Mil)   tnir   hi-tory  ami  prophecy,  and  the  other  but 

:m.|  the  invention  of  men? 

The  following  is  in  further  confirmation  of  the  posi- 
tion taken  in  l1;.-  "I'.ooU  of  Mormon''  that  the  ear- 
lie-i  -  upon  the  American  continent  understood 

the  haJ.iN,  cu-iorn-,  art-,  ami  .-cienccs  of  the  ancient 
ptiun>  :     - 

\O  claim  ha-  l».-«-n  advanced,  wo  believe,  which  advocates 

an  a-  vptian  coloni/ation  of  ihe  New  World,  but  strong 

arguni*  n  1  to  show  that  the  architecture  and 

M-ulpture  of  (Vntral  America  and  Mexico  have  been  influenced 

if  not  attributable  directly  to  Egyptian  artisans. 

These  arguments  are  based  on  the  resemblance  between  the 

gigantic  pyramids,  the  sculptured  obelisks,  and  the  numerous 

I   of  these  prehistoric  countries  and  those  of  Egypt.    It 

eye  to  trace  a    resemblance   in  general 

ires,  though  it  must  be  said  that  the  details  of  American 

ure  and   >ci;lpture  are  peculiarly  original  in  design." 

—  KANCBOFT'S  Native  Races,  page  122.     The  North  Americans 

of  A  l'\  JOHN  T.  SHOUT,  page  147. 

44  The  fact  that  Cortez  found  the  Julian  reckoning,  employed 

by  his  own  and  .very  other  nation,  to  be  more  than  ten  days  in 

r  when  tried  by  the  Aztec  system, —a  system  the  almost 

•  •cl  accuracy  of    which   was   proven  by  the  adjustments 

h  took  place  under  Gregory  XIII.,  in  1^-2  A.  D.,  — excites 

our  wmi.i  Imiration.     How  the  Xahuas,  whether  Toltec 

know  not,  were  able    to  approximate  the  true 


28*0  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

'  / 

length  of  the  year  within  two  minutes  and  nine  seconds,  thus 
almost  rivalling  the  accuracy  of  the  learned  astronomers  of  the 
Caliph  Almamon,  is  a  mystery.  The  venerable  civilization  of 
the  Mayas,  whose  forest-grown  cities  and  crumbling  temples 
hold  entombed  a  history  of  vanished  glory,  no  doubt  belongs  to 
the  remotest  period  of  North  American  antiquity.  It  was  old 
when  the  Nahuas,  then  a  comparatively  rude  people,  first  came 
in  contact  with  it,  adopted  many  of  its  features,  and  engrafted 
upon  it  new  life."  — North  Americans  of  Antiquity,  by  SHORT, 
page  519. 

In  the  old  seats  of  empire  in  America,  Dr.  Foster 
communicates, 

OF    THE    WRITTEN    LANGUAGE, 

the  following :  — 

"The  hieroglyphics  displayed  upon  the  walls  of  Copan,  in 
horizontal  or  perpendicular  rows,  would  indicate  a  written  lan- 
guage in  which  the  pictorial  significance  had  largely  disap- 
peared, and  a  kind  of  word-writing  had  become  predominant. 
Intermingled  with  the  pictorial  devices  are  apparently  purely 
arbitrary  characters  which  may  be  alphabetic.  This,  however, 
may  be  said,  that  in  Central  American  hieroglyphics  we  have  a 
highly  artificial  system  of  writing,  to  interpret  which  the  Aztec 
picture-writing-affords  no -aid."  —  Prehistoric  Races  in  the 
United  States  of  America,  by  J.  W.  FOSTER,  LL.  D.,  page  322. 

Says  Prof.  Eafenesque  :  — 

• 

"The  glyphs  of  Otolun  [an  ancient  city  of  America]  are 
written  from  top  to  bottom,  like  the  Chinese,  or  from  side  to 
side  indifferently,  like  the  Egyptian  and  the  Demotic  Lybians. 
Although  the  most  common  way  of  writing  the  groups  is  in 
rows,  and  each  group  separated,  yet  we  find  some  formed,  as  it 
were,  in  oblong  squares  or  tablets,  like  those  of  Egypt."  — 
Atlantic  Journal  for  1832. 

The  reader  will  please  note  that  these  characters,  as 
described,  were  arranged  very  much  as  were  those  sub- 


riMMM  \<  Y     AM)    I'KIESTIIOOD.  281 

mitted  by  Messrs.  Smith  and  Harris  to  Prof.  Anthon, 
MII  IM  in-  tli.«  witness;  yet  Prof.  Rafenesque's  dis- 
covery was  made  subsequent  to  Mr.  Smith's  characters 
being  submitted  to  Prof.  Anthon.  This  also  confirms 
Smith's  claim  that  his  characters  were  true  ones,  and 
aKo  further  supports  the  claim  of  the  "Book  of  Mor- 
mon/' that  t  lent  inhabitants  were- an  intelligent 
race  of  people,  and  possessed  a  written  language. 

t  \\  -he!  her  the  prehistoric  nations  of  America  pos- 
sessed a  written  language  which  contained  characters 
that  re<cmbl.  '  umd  in  the  old  Egyptian,  Chaldaic, 

bio,  (Ireek,  and  Hebrew  lanirua^es  or  not,  is  the 
question  at  issue  ;  and  for  the  benefit  of  those  contro- 
\<  rtniLf  this  position,  the  evidences  on  this  subject  are 
here  extended.  It  follow-,  as  may  be  readily  seen,  that 
if  the  prelnMorir  nations  who  at  one  time  inhabited 
America  did  possess  a  written  language  containing 
characters  resembling  those  found  in  the  Hebrew, 
j»liaii,  and  Chaldaic  languages,  etc.,  that  Mr. 
Smith's  claim  of  having  had  in  his  possession  true  char- 

rs  —  tho  ancient  language  of  these  lost  nations  — 
is  sustained,  and  the  "  Book  of  Mormon  "  is  proven  to 
1)0  a  true  record  ;  for  Mr.  Smith  was  the  first  and  only 
one  to  announce  to  the  world  that  such  a  nation  of  peo- 

did  inhabit  America,  and  that  they  understood  the 
Mel,  jyptian,  Chaldaic,  and  Arabic  languages; 

or  rather  it  is  said  the  characters  which  he  submitted 
,e  learned,  which  he  affirmed  were  the  writings  of 
these  ancient  nations,  resembled  characters  found  in 
the  Kiryptian,  Greek,  Hebrew,  Roman,  Chaldaic,  and 
Arabir  Ian-.1 


282          PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

On  the  23d  of  April,  1843,  while  some  parties  were 
digging  in  a  mound  near  Kinderhook,  Pike  County, 
Illinois,  they  made  the  discovery  of  "six  brass  plates" 
(see  plate  No.  2),  "with  four  lines  of  characters  or 
hieroglyphics,  on  each."  A  description  of  the  plates, 
and  the  manner  of  finding  them,  was  published  in  the 
Quincy  Whig  at  the  time,  a  part  of  which  is  as 
follows  :  — 

"  After  penetrating  the  mound  about  eleven  feet,  they  came 
to  a  bed  of  limestone,  that  had  apparently  been  subjected  to 
the  action  of  fire.  They  removed  the  stones,  which  were  small 
and  easy  to  handle,  to  the  depth  of  two  feet  or  more,  when 
they  found  six  BRASS  PLATES,  secured  and  fastened  together 
by  two  iron  wires,  but  which  were  so  decayed  that  they  readily 
crumbled  to  dust  upon  being  handled.  The  plates  were  so 
completely  covered  with  rust  as  almost  to  obliterate  the  charac- 
ters inscribed  upon  them;  but  after  undergoing  a  chemical 
process,  the  inscriptions  were  brought  out  plain  and  distinct. 
There  were  six  plates,  four  inches  in  length,  one  and  three 
quarters  wide  at  the  top,  and  two  inches  and  three  quarters 
wide  at  the  bottom,  flaring  out  to  points.  There  are  four  lines 
of  characters,  or  hieroglyphics,  on  each.  On  one  side  of  the 
plates  are  parallel  lines  running  lengthwise.  A  few  of  the 
characters  resemble  in  their  forms  the  Roman  capitals  of  our 
alphabet;  for  instance,  the  capital  B  and  X  appear  very  dis- 
tinct. In  addition,  there  are  rude  representations  of  three 
human  heads  on  one  of  the  plates,  the  largest  in  the  middle. 
From  this  head  proceed  marks  or  rays  resembling  those  which 
usually  surround  the  head  of  Christ  in  the  pictorial  illustrations 
of  his  person.  There  are  also  figures  of  two  trees  with 
branches,  one  under  each  of  the  two  small  heads,  both  lean- 
ing a  little  to  the  right.  One  of  the  plates  has  on  it  the  figure 
of  a  large  head  by  itself,  with  two  hands  pointing  directly  to 
it.  On  each  side  of  the  mound  in  which  this  discovery  was 
made  was  a  mound,  on  one  of  which  is  a  tree  growing  that 


PRESIDENCY    AM>   I-IMKM  HOOD.  283 

measures  two  feet  and  a  lialf  in  diameter  near  the  ground, 
showing  tin1  u'lvat  antiquity  of  the  mounds,  and  of  course  all 
that  is  buried  within  them." 

The  findinir  of  theM»  plates  is  attested  by  nine  wit- 

060869)    ril.j    Unix-it    Niley,   George   Dickenson,    W. 

,   (;.    \V.    I\   Ward,  J.  R.  Sharp,  Ira  S. 

(iruhb,  W.  T.  Harris,  and  W.  Fugate. 

o  are  char  \\  these  plates  that  resemble 

letter-   in  (he   I\Lr\  j>ti:in,  ( Jrcck,  Komnn,  Chahhuc,  and 

Hebrew  alphabet-,  and  they  are  arranged  in  columns, 

\ery   imirh    in  foim  and  arrangement,  ac- 

Prof.  A nthon,  the  ones  that  were  submitted 

to  him   by  Mr.  Harris,  as  copied  by  Mr.  Smith  from 

tin*  plat«^  in  his  possession,  from  which  he  translated 

tlu»   "1  Mormon";  yet  none  would  be  so  auda- 

ciou  say  that  they  had  been  copied 

by   M»me  ff  btinirlinir "   hand,  with  the   various  ancient 

alphabet-,   as  m.  mi  HUM!,  before  him,  with  a  view  to 

prri  •  fraud.     Prof.  A.nthon  decided  too  hastily 

upon  Smith's  characters,  because  the  idea  of  miracle 

u-hed  to  the  discovery  of  them.     These  scien- 

tilic  reveabnents  confirm  Smith's  claim,  and    condemn 

Prof.  Authon's  hasty  conclusion. 

I'rof.  1; -,: :ii. -x.jue  further  states  :  — 

uBy  the  jjreat  variety  of  Egyptian  forms  of  the  same  letters 

I  th.'iuht  i1.  it  I  could  trace  some  resemblance  with  our  Ameri- 

I  could  see  in  them  the  Egyptian  cross, 

•  luare,  trident,  eye,  feather,  fish,  hand, 

•lit  in  vain  for  the  birds,  lions,  sphynx,  beetle,  and 

a  In;  her  nameless  signs  of  Egypt.  ...  I  was  delighted 

in  find  it  so  explicit,  so  well  connected  with  the  Egyptian, being 

an  acrostic  alphabet,  and,  above  all,  to  find  that  all  its 


284  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

signs  were  to  be  seen  in  the  glyphs  of  Otolun,  the  Ameri- 
can city  (Palenque).  The  numerical  analogy  is  thirty-two  per 
cent  with  the  Egyptian."  —  Ruins  Revised  by  an  Americanist, 
S.  F.  WALKER,  page  175. 

Again,  says  Dr.  LePlongeon  :  — 

"  I  must  speak  of  that  language  which  has  survived  unal- 
tered through  the  vicissitudes  of  the  nations  that  spoke  it 
thousands  of  years  ago,  and  is  yet  the  general  tongue  in 
Yucatan,  —  the  Maya.  .  .  .  The  Maya,  containing  words  from 
almost  every  language,  ancient  or  modern,  is  well  worth  the 
attention  of  philologists.  .  .  .  One  third  of  the  tongue  is  pure 
Greek.  Who  brought  the  dialect  of  Homer  to  America?  Or 
who  took  to  Greece  that  of  the  Mayas?  Greek  is  the  offspring 
of  the  Sanscrit.  Is  Maya?  Or  are  they  coeval?  .  .  .  The  Maya 
is  not  devoid  of  words  from  the  Assyrians."  — Ruins  Revised, 
page  176. 

"  The  Maya  language  seems  to  be  one  of  the  oldest  tongues 
spoken  by  man,  since  it  contains  words  and  expressions  of  all, 
or  nearly  all,  of  the  known  polished  languages  of  the  earth." 
Ibid.,  page  177. 

"The  Mayas  had  signs  and  characters  identical  with  the 
Egyptians;  possessing  the  same  alphabetical  and  symbolical 
value  in  both  nations.  Among  the  symbolical  I  might  mention 
a  few,  —  water,  country,  king,  lord,  offering,  splendor.  .  .  . 
A,  I,  X,  and  pp.  are  identical  with  the  Etruscan.  .  .  .  Certain 
signs  and  symbols  were  used  by  the  affiliated  [in  the  Maya 
mysteries]  that  are  perfectly  identical  with  those  used  among 
the  Masons  in  their  symbolical  lodges."  —  Ibid.,  page  180. 

Accepting,  as  has  been  proved,  that  the  old  Cushite 
civilization  brought  the  arts  and  sciences  from  Arabia 
into  Western  Asia,  Chaldea,  Egypt,  and  Canaan,  and 
that  from  their  alphabet  that  of  the  Greek,  together 
with  all  of  the  alphabets  of  modern  Europe,  were 
derived,  and  that  from  them  was  learned  the  science  of 


PREMM :\(  V     AM)    PRIESTHOOD.  285 

a-tronnmy.  tin*  mechanical  arts,  a  knowledge  of  the 
xodiac,  ami  how  to  construct  the  vast  superstructures 
that  r\Nt  in  all  of  the  countries  where  this  people  have 
it,  together  with  the  fact  that  a  colony  representing 
thU  old  civilization,  when  it  was  in  the  height  of  its 
pn\\rraml  ^cirntiiie  and  intellectual  attainments,  came 
to  America  t'loin  Isabel,  and  here  settled,  built,  flour- 
i-hed,  :»nd  became  a  -jreat  nation;  also  that  a  colony, 
indeed  t\\<»  <,f  tin-in,  of  >imilar  origin  and  culture, 
dir-  ctl\  from  the  Semitic  line,  jn.^e^inga  knowledge 
<>f  all  that  was  known  amonir  the  Kiryptians,  Jews,  and 
all  the  nation-  round  about,  came  directly  from  Jerusa- 
lem -oiue  -i\  hiimlrrd  yean  In-fore  Christ,  and  settled 
in  America,  and  in  proce-- ol' t  ime  these  latter  colonies, 
who-r  laiiLru:i'jv  was  derived  from  the  old  Cushite  and 
Semitic  staining  w pure  Greek 9M  became  ac- 

«|iiair,!rd    \\itii    the    lanLTiiaiie  of   the    older  people  that 
came  out  from    P»a!»cl,  ]  d  their  records,  became 

familiar  with    their    aivhitc<  tnre,   manner  of   life,  lan- 
.  and  Dr.  LePlonireon's  question,  as  to  how. 
"pure   dp-civ"   hecame   known  among  the    Mayas    of 
Central   America,  is  answered.      Much  of  their  tongue 
vraa  "pore  Greek  "to  hc-in  with.     The  Greeks  learned 
from  Chaldea,  Arabia,  and  Kgypt.     There  is  A\ here  they 
<»!. tained  their  alphabet.     The  ancestors    of  the    Maya 
e  of  Central  America  learned  in  the  same  school.     So 
declares  science.     So  says    the  "Book   of  Mormon." 
Ilomrr.  Ib-iod,  Solon,  and  all  other  Greeks  and  Komans 
received  their  knowledge  of  letters  from  this  common 
the    Cu>hite  or  Semitic  tongue,  which,  up  to 
Ilahrl,  were   identical.      "The  whole  earth  was  of  one 


286  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

language  and  of  one  speech."  The  Hebrew  and  other 
kindred  languages  were  from  the  same  source,  only 
deflections.  So  the  "  Book  of  Mormon  "  still  stands  like 
a  very  Gibraltar,  undisturbed  by  ridicule,  scathing  criti- 
cism, or  scientific  demonstration.  Is  it  not  time  that 
we  grow  a  little  serious  and  think  of  tilings  as  they  are, 
and  not  as  we  would  like  to  have  them? 

Again  :  on  the  10th  of  January,  1877,  there  were 
found  near  Davenport,  Iowa,  "two  tablets  of  coal  slate, 
covered  with  a  variety  of  figures  and  hieroglyphics." 
In  the  report  of  the  Davenport  Academy  for  1882  is 
an  interpretation  of  tablets  found  in  a  mound  in  that 
vicinity,  including,  doubtless,  the  ones  discovered  in 
1877.  (See  plate  3.)  The  report  says  :  - 

"  The  tablets  Nos.  I.,  III.,  and  IV.  contain  nearly  two  hun- 
dred characters,  of  which,  however,  sixteen  occur  several  times. 
The  remaining  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  more  different  figures, 
the  human  and  animal  delineations  not  being  taken  into  the 
account,  demonstrate  that  the  primitive  inhabitants  of  the 
country  did  not  use  the  simple  Noachian  alphabet  of  twenty  - 
'five  letters,  but  a  great  number  of  syllabic  signs,  originated 
from  the  said  alphabet,  as  was  and  still  is  the  case  in  Egypt, 
Japan,  Corea,  China,  and  Central  America." 

Again  :  — 

"  Plate  III.  This  tablet  .  .  .  represents  a  planetary  configu- 
ration, the  twelve  signs  of  the  zodiac,  known  to  all  nations  of 
old,  and  the  seven  planets,  conjoined  with  six  different  signs. 
.  .  .  The  figures  of  the  signs  are  the  same  which  we  find 
depicted  on  Egyptian,  Greek,  Roman,  and  other  monuments. 
.  .  .  The  signs  Aries,  Taurus,  Gemini  are  plain  enough. 
Gemini  is  expressed  by  two  sitting  children,  like  the  constella- 
tion of  Gemini,  at  present  Castor  and  Pollux.  Capricornus 


ri;l>lM  \<  Y    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  287 

was,  as  we  learn  from  the  astronomical  monuments  of  the 
Egyptians,  a  species  of  antelope,  and  the  same  animal,  though 
rt'srml.les  our  Capricornus."  —  Euins  Revis- 
ited, page  209. 

Tin  M-  citations  from  standard  authors  clearly  show 
that  there  w.-i-  :i  ci\ili/ed,  intelligent,  and  highly  culti- 

1  nation  or  nation-  that   inhabited  America  in  pre- 
hi-torie  times,  and  th.it  their  tir>t  and  early  settlements 
litres  of  population,  refinement,  and  wealth 
in  Central  and  South  America,  and  after- 
ward in  North  Amerira  ;  that  they  possessed  a  written 
l.niLMi.iL  :ood   sculpture,  building,  orna- 

mentation, \\hieh  resemble  in  a  special  manner  the  style 
of  the  old  Ivjyptian  ;  and,  aUo,  there  are  to  be  found 
Hebrew,  (iiv.-U,  Chaldaic,  Roman,  and  Assyriac  let- 
ters; mammoth  suprrstruetures,  monnds,  and  pyra- 
mid.-, rivalling  the  most  wonderful  in  huge  dimension 
found  in  Kirypt,  Chaldea,  Arabia,  Ionia,  (i  recce,  Rome, 
OC  ('anaan.  All  of  this  confirms  the  historical  state- 
ments of  the  "Sealed  P>ook  "  brought  to  light,  that  the 
ancient  inhabitants  of  America  were  of  Jewish  and 
Cushite,  or  Semitic,  origin,  and  that  they  brought  with 
them  their  respective  languages  and  customs,  and  left 
their  impress  here  in  the  New  World. 

lie  fore,  or  about  the  time  of,  the  arrival  of  the  two 
colonies  of  Jews  to  the  continent,  the  old  Jaredite 
nation  had  attained  its  highest  ascendency,  deteriorated, 
and  became  extinct.  So  says  the  "Book  of  Mormon," 
and  so  say-  the  universal  testimony  of  the  Indian,  north 
and  loath  :  that  is,  their  places  of  habitation  were  here 
when  the  anee-toixof  the  Indian  came:  and  scientific 

arch  confirm-  the-e  statements. 


288  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

There  is  something  of  marked  significance  in  a  state- 
ment found  on  page  425  of  "  North  Americans  of  An- 
tiquity," in  regard  to  the  word  w  Mulek."  The  "  Book 
of  Mormon  "  affirms  that  at  the  time  the  Jews  were 
taken  captive  to  Babylon,  "Mulek,"  one  of  the  sons  of 
Zedekiah,  came  over,  with  others,  to  this  continent,  and 
settled  in  Central  America ;  and  in  the  account  above 
referred  to,  the  statement  is  made  that,  "By  means  of 
Landa's  key,  Mr.  Ballaert  translated  some  of  the  hiero- 
glyphics found  in  Yucatan,  and  the  word  ' Mulek, 'or 
'Muluc,'  as  written  by  Short,  was  deciphered,  and  was 
found  to  mean  'to  unite,'  *  reunion.' '  Considering  that 
historical  statement  in  the  "Book  of  Mormon,"  that 
there  was  a  union  formed,  or  federation  between  the 
Nephites  and  Mulekitcs  in  Central  America,  in  primeval 
times,  and  it  goes  far  to  prove  that  there  was  something 
more  than  fancy  and  guess-work,  the  emanations  from 
the  brains  of  mere  men,  that  inspired  the  revelation  of 
the  "  Book  of  Mormon."  This  word  "  Mulek  "  was  also 
applied  to  one  of  the  days  of  their  months,  seemingly 
to  retain  it  in  memorial.  Who  can  question  that  if  so 
good  a  coincident  or  discovery  had  been  made  in  sup- 
port of  the  Bible,  from  Egypt,  Chaldea,  Babylon,  Tyre, 
or  elsewhere,  it  would  not  have  been  hailed  as  a  great 
finding,  and  would  be  used  as  a  club  to  hurl  at  the  head 
of  the  scoffing  infidel,  because  so  pusillanimous  and  per- 
sistent in  refusing  the  truth  when  the  facts  were  so 
patent?  What,  then,  should  believers  in  the  "  Book  of 
Mormon"  say  to  doubting  Christians,  who  persist  in 
disregarding  these  plain  evidences  that  support  the 
Christ  idea?  When  the  Mulekites  and  Nephites  first 


PRC8IDKNC1     \\D   i  i;ii:sTHOOD.  281) 

m.-t,  a-  thr  narrative  >ho\vs,  tliey  could  not  understand 
rarh  othrr'-  l:u  After  inquiry  and  study,  they 

\\rrr  able  to  communicate,  and  were  delighted  to  learn 
of  each  othrrV  origin,  and  hi>tory,  and  speech.  They 
a  l-o  .-d  dir  rrn.rds  of  tlif  Jaredites,  and  the 

an« -it-lit  ivmains  of  thr  laitn  rovrrrd  the  land.  Here 
a  writing  and  mingling  of  the  languages  of  three 
di>tinrt  nalionalitio, —  two  of  Jr\vi>h  origin,  learned 
in  the  laiigua^*1  of  thr  Ki:yptians;  the  other,  the  old 
(  'u-hitr,  with  p«»->il»lr  clian-r-  inadr  l»y  tiinr  and  events, 
thr  \ny  lan-iia-r  from  whrnrr  was  derived  the  Greek 
and  "all  the  lam  "f  ino<lrrn  Kuropr.'' 

It  \\oiild  hr  l.ut  natural  that  leading  features  of  these 
lanirua^'s  would  l»r  int rodticrd  or  united,  and  made  the 
common  laiiguai:*'  °f  the  unitrd  proplr  and  future 
nation.  In  rontirmatioii  of  this,  the  following  is  in 
point  :  — 

u  The  study  of  a  reliable  guide  in  tracing 

thr  iniiiraiiMii  of  triU-s,  I'ven  wlien  they  have  become  inter- 
inin-l'-d  with  n;h«  r  tribes.  In  the  social  relations  thus  estab- 
lished tln-iv  \vuiil.l  not  n-ult  a  total  obliteration  of  the  language 
nt  the  one  tribe,  but  certain  wnnls  and  forms  of  speech  would 
!•»•  ,-i.lnpti'd  and  pt-rpi-tnatt-d."  —  Prehistoric  Races  of  the  United 
Stat  MS. 

In  thr  light  of  the  above  we  have  a  legitimate  origin 
f«»r  all  of  thr  peculiar  characters  submitted  by  Mr. 
Smith  to  Prof.  Anthon  and  Dr.  Mitchell,  —  "Greek," 
"Hebrew," "Assyrian,"  "Cl.aldaic,"  "Roman  letters," 
w circles  and  flourishes/' — the  "Book  of  Mormon" 
kin-  fur  ii-rlf,  as  confirmed  by  facts  brought  to 
li-jht  in  in. »drrn  arcliivological  discoveries.  Also  ample 


290  PRESIDENCY    AND    PIUESTHOOD. 

ground  for  I)r.  LePlongeon's  "pure  Greek"  found  in 
Yucatan  and  Central  America.  So  all  of  the  facts 
go  to  show  that  Mr.  Smith  was  right  in  his  claim  to 
have  possessed  and  translated  the  records  of  the  pre- 
historic nations  of  America,  and  the  characters  which 
he  submitted  to  Prof.  Anthon  were  correct  ones,  and 
the  criticism  that  they  contained  Greek,  Hebrew,  Chal- 
daic  letters,  circles  and  flourishes,  etc.,  is  in  support 
of  his  claim  rather  than  against,  for  it  is  now  known 
that  a  people  conversant  with  those  languages,  or  the 
ground  plan  of  them,  did,  at  one  time,  inhabit  this 
Western  Continent.  Strange  to  say,  it  was  almost 
upon  the  same  parallel  of  latitude  that  the  metallic 
plates  of  Illinois,  the  coal-slate  tablets  of  Davenport, 
Iowa,  and  the  gold  plates  obtained  by  Mr.  Smith  in 
Northern  New  York,  were  found,  and  the  characters  on 
each  in  some  respects  resemble  those  upon  the  other, 
Prof.  Anthon  being  witness.  Let  truth  prevail,  though 
all  men  oppose. 

Again,  the  Marquis  de  Nadaillac  writes  :  — 

"  In  the  province  Tarapaca,  considerable  surfaces  are  cov- 
ered, not  only  with  figures  of  men  and  animals,  most  of  them 
of  a  remarkable  execution,  but  also  with  characters  which 
appear  to  be  wrjtten  vertically.  I  am  disposed  to  attach  more 
importance  to  the  discoveries  of  Prof.  Librarani,  in  Santa  Maria 
Valley,  Province  of  Catamarca,  in  the  Argentine  Kepublic. 
He  describes  figures  of  animate  objects,  geometrical  figures, 
and  lines  of  dots  differently  combined.  The  same  signs 
are  met  with  (and  this  is  a  fact  worthy  of  attention),  con- 
stantly repeated,  and  always  in  a  similar  order.  Ameghino 
considers  these  inscriptions  to  indicate  a  complete  system  of 
writing,  made  up  partly  of  figures  and  symbolical  characters, 


PRESIDENCY    AND    i'KIESTHOOD.  2(J1 

partly  of  purely  phonetic  characters;  and  he  is  even  disposed 
to  admit  that  tlu-sr  are  remains  of  ancient  Peruvian  writing" 

—  Prehistoric  America,  pages  -j.Vi,  _•:,»;. 

Again  :  — 

••Thi-rv  is  a  very  di-tinct  resemblance  in  some  of  these 
hier-.  ral  America]  to  those  of  Egypt."  —  I&iU, 

:>28. 

"  Al.ovr  ilu«  door,  and  simulating  .windows  (in  the  valley  of 

ay,  one  of  tin-  tributaries  of  the  Amazon),  we  meet  again 

with  tin-  Kiryptian  tun  that  we  have  already  seen  at  Palenque." 

—  //>/</.,  paije  117. 

i  In-  ornaim  niati<»n  of  the  buildings  resembling  that  upon 

D  monmin-nts." —  Ibid.,  page  324. 

••"in.  able  tlio-r  of  Ki:ypt,  and  head-dress   a  little 

like  that  of  ti  .in-."  —/&«/.,  page  3^7. 

i  In  v  had  a  knowledge  of  astronomy,  and  were  acquainted 
with  the  divisions  of  time  founded  upon  the  motion  of  the 
sun."  —  Ibid.,  page  305. 

11  Possessed  astronomical  instruments."  — SHORT,  page  43. 
"They    wore    a    head-dress    which    has    been  pronounced 
Kiryptian."  :;92. 

These  evidences  all  unite,  and  confirm  the  truth  of 
the  claim-  of  the  f'  Hook  of  Mormon,"  that  it  answers 
to  the  prediction  found  in  the  twenty-ninth  chapter  of 
I>:iiah  c«-iiccrning  the  "Sealed  Book,"  and  that  it  came 
forth  in  fulfilment  thereof ;  that  it  is  a  true  record  of 
the  ancient  inhabitants  of  America;  and  that  they  did 
occupy  this  land  in  prehistoric  times,  and  were  an 
intelligent,  ( J<>d-fearm«r,  and  accomplished  race  of  peo- 
ple ;  that  they  understood  the  arts  and  sciences,  and 
had  a  regular  and  well-defined  system  of  writing;  that 
their  alphabet  was  derived  from  the  old  original  alpha- 
bet, from  \\hich  all  the  alphabets  of  modern  Europe 


292  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

were  derived,  and  was  composed  of  characters  identical 
with  and  resembling  the  Egyptian,  Chaldaic,  Assyrian, 
Greek,  Hebrew,  and  Roman  letters,  with  symbols,  cir- 
cles, and  pictorial  emblems ;  that  they  understood  the 
Hebrew  and  Egyptian  language  and  customs  of  social 
life  and  architectural  building  and  ornamentation  ;  that 
they  engraved  upon  stone  and  metallic  plates ;  made 
gold  plates  ;  that  the  ancient  nations  are  extinct ;  that 
they  were  conquered,  overcome,  and  destroyed  by  a 
wild,  ferocious,  and  savage  race  of  people,  who  spared 
neither  old  nor  young,  male  nor  female  ;  that  the  emi- 
gration was  from  south  to  north  ;  that  the  oldest  nation 
was  destroyed  ere  the  second  colony  of  civilized  people 
settled  upon  the  continent ;  that  the  very  names  of  these 
older  nations  are  unknown,  living  only  in  their  monu- 
mental remains,  that  testify  of  their  existence,  greatness, 
power,  wisdom,  and  glory,  all  of  which  is  absolutely 
outlined  and  affirmed  in  the  "Book  of  Mormon  "  itself. 
These  ancient  inhabitants  possessed  a  "  knowledge  of 
the  Jews  and  the  language  of  the  Egyptians,"  and  of 
course  their  customs,  social,  political,  religious,  archi- 
tectural, and  scientific. 

In  the  light  of  these  facts,  affirmed  by  the  "  Book  of 
Mormon"  and  confirmed  by  scientific  demonstration, 
it  is  possible,  yes,  highly  probable,  from  the  scien- 
tific evidences  themselves,  that  the  alphabetical  char- 
acters which  constitute  the  writings  of  these  ancient 
peoples  would  resemble  very  much  those  affirmed  by 
Prof.  Anthon,  was  submitted  to  him  by  Messrs.  Joseph 
Smith  and  Martin  Harris :  "all  kinds  of  crooked  char- 
acters disposed  in  columns.  .  .  .  Greek  and  Hebrew 


I'UKSIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  293 

letters,  crosses  and  flourishes,  Roman  letters,  inverted 
or  placed  sideways,  were  arranged  in  perpendicular 
columns  etc. ;  Egyptian,  Chaldaic,  Assyrian,  and  Ara- 
l/if character-,"  a-  evidenced  by  Mr.  Harris.  Thus 
M-ientitic  di-elosures  confirm  the  truth  of  the  "Book 
of  Mormon,"  and  support  the  claim  of  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  that  he  had  in  his  possession  the  ancient  records 
of  thoe  ancient  nation-,  and  the  characters  which  he 
had  submitted  to  Prof.  Anthon  and  Dr.  Mitchell  were 
true  oil' 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  TESTIMONY  OF  NUMEROUS  AUTHORS. 

IN  further  proof  that  there  was  an  utter  apostasy  from 
the  primitive  Christian  faith  after  the  death  of  the  apostles, 
and  a  reign  of  cruel  tyranny,  imbecilit^v,  idolatry,  and  mon- 
strous vices  and  absurdities  ensued,  under  the  name  of  the 
Christian  religion,  the  testimony  of  a  number  of  authors  is 
here  quoted  in  evidence.  Also,  further  proof  in  relation  to 
the  rise,  progress,  and  dominion  of  the  "Man  of  Sin"  ;  the 
intolerance,  cruelty,  and  oppression  of  that  power,  an<l  its 
present  purpose  toward  the  liberties  of  the  people  and  the 
i  ivilized  world,  together  with  other  condensed  history  and 
reference  of  benefit  to  the  searchers  after  truth.  The 
Saviour  and  the  apostles  not  only  predicted  the  apostasy  and 
rise  of  the  sinful  kingdom,  but  the  early  Christians  were 
forewarned  concerning  it,  and  looked  forward  to  its  coming. 
Says  Tertullian  :  "Christians  are  under  a  particular  necessity 
of  praying  for  the  Emperor  [of  Rome]  and  for  the  continued 
state  of  the  Empire  ;  because  we  know  that  dreadful  power 
which  hangs  over  the  world,  and  the  conclusion  of  the  age, 
which  threatens  the  most  horrible  ecils,  is  restrained  by  the 
continuance  of  the  time  appointed  by  the  Roman  Empire. 
This  is  what  we  would  not  experience  ;  and  while  we  pray 
that  it  may  be  deferred,  we  hereby  show  our  good-will  to  the 
perpetuity  of  the  Roman  state."  (TERTULLIAN'S  Apology, 
Chap.  XXXII.)  — History  of  Romanism,  pages  28,  29. 

u  Nothing  could  be  more  simple  and  unpretending  than 
the  form  of  church  organization  and  government  in  primi- 
tive times.  Euch  church  consisted  of  a  company  of  believers 


ri;i:sil>KNCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  295 

in  the  Lord  .Jesus,  united  in  covenant  relationship,  for  the 
worship  of  God,  the  maintenance  of  gospel  doctrines,  and 
the  due  administration  of  the  ordinances  appointed  by 
Christ.  *  Every  church,1  says  Waddington,  an  Episco- 
palian, Mn  the  management  of  its  internal  affairs,  was 
essentially  independent  of  every  other.  .  .  .  The  churches 
forme.  I  a  sort  of  federative  body  of  independent  religious 
communities,  dispersed  through  the  greater  part  of  the 
empire,  in  continual  communication  and  in  constant  har- 
mony .with  each  other."1  -  WAIHHNCION,  Church  History, 
1  •">.  //'  '  >i'[i  of  Romanism,  page  36. 

44  According  to  New  Testament  usage,  the  title  of  bishop 
'd  to  presbyters  or  elders.  Soon  after  the  death  of 
the  n pottles,  however,  this  title  began  to  be  claimed  exclu- 
>i\rly  by  such  as  sought  pre-eminence  over  their  brethren  in 
the  ministry.  .  .  .  After  the  death  of  the  apostles  and  the 
pupils  of  the  apost'es,  to  whom  the  general  direction  of  the 
church  had  always  been  conceded,  some  one  among  the  pres- 
byters of  each  church  was  suffered  gradually  to  take  the 
lead  in  its  affairs.  In  the  same  irregular  way  the  title  of 
'emcrxofto**  (bishop)  was  appropriated  to  the  first  presbyter. 
Hence  the  different  accounts  of  the  order  of  the  first  bishops 
in  the  church  at  Rome."  •  —  GIESELER'S  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tor H,  Vol.  I.,  page  65. 

44  In  process  of  time,  all  the  Christian  churches  of  a 
province  were  formed  into  one  large  ecclesiastical  body,  which, 
like  confederate  states,  assembled  at  certain  times,  in  order 
to  deliberate  about  the  common  interests  of  the  whole. 
This  institution  had  its  origin  among  the  Greeks,  with  whom 
nothing  was  more  common  than  this  confederacy  of  inde- 
pendent states.  .  .  .  These  councils,  of  which  we  find  not 
the  smallest  trace  before  the  middle  of  the  second  century, 
chanm-d  the  whole  face  of  the  church,  and  gave  it  a  new 
form."  —  Ibid.,  pages  37,  38. 


296  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"Soon  after  Constantino's  professed  conversion  to  Chris 
tianity  (in  the  year  312)  he  undertook  to  remodel  the  govern 
ment  of  the  church,  so  as  to  make  it  conform  as  much  as 
possible  to  the  government  of  the  state.  Hence  the  origin 
of  the  dignities  of  patriarchs,  exarchs,  archbishops,  canons, 
prebendaries,  etc.,  intended  by  the  Emperor  to  correspond 
with  the  different  secular  offices  and  dignities  connected  with 
the  civil  administration  of  the  Empire.  Taking  these  newly 
constituted  dignitaries  of  the  church  into  his  own  special 
favor,  he  loaded  them  with  wealth  and  worldly  honors,  and 
richly  endowed  the  churches  over  which  they  presided.  .  .  . 
From  this  time  onward,  the  progress  of  priestly  domination 
and  tyranny  was  far  more  rapid  than  in  any  previous  age. 
The  lofty  title  of  patriarch  was  assumed  by  the  bishops  of 
Rome,  Alexandria,  Antioch,  and  Jerusalem,  and  also  of  Con- 
stantinople, after  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  the  Empire  to 
that  city,  claiming,  according  to  Bingham  ('Antiquities,'  B. 
II.,  Chap.  XVII.),  '  the  right  to  ordain  all  the  metropolitans 
of  their  own  diocese  ;  to  call  diocesan  synods,  and  to  preside 
over  them,'  etc.'1  —  Ibid.,  page  31. 

c  4  The  bishops  of  the  three  great  cities  of  the  Roman  Em- 
pire, Rome,  Alexandria,  Antioch,  according  to  the  learned 
and  accurate  Gieseler,  had  the  largest  dioceses.  Hence  they 
were  considered  as  the  heads  of  the  church,  and  in  all  gen- 
eral affairs  particular  deference  was  paid  to  their  opinions." 
—  Ibid.,  page  32. 

"  Constantine  has  been  styled  the  first  Christian  Emperor. 
During  one  of  his  campaigns  (A.  D.  312)  he  is  said  to  have 
seen  a  miraculous  vision  of  a  luminous  cross  in  the  heavens, 
on  which  were  inscribed  the  following  words,  '  In  hoc  signo 
vinces,'  —  <-By  this  conquer.'  Certain  it  is,  that  from  this 
period,  Constantine  showed  the  Christians  marks  of  positive 
favor,  and  caused  the  cross  to  be  employed  as  the  imperial 
standard  ;  in  his  last  battle  with  Licinius,  it  was  the  emblem 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  297 

of  the  cross  that  was  opposed  to  the  symbols  of  paganism ; 
and  as  the  latter  went  down  in  a  night  of  blood,  the  triumph 
of  Christianity  over  the  Roman  world  was  deemed  complete. 

44  The  most  important  events  in  the  reign  of  Constantine, 
after  he  had  restored  the  outward  unity  of  the  Empire,  were 
his  wars  with  Sarmatiuus  and  Goths,  whom  he  severely 
chastised,  and  his  domestic  dilliculties,  in  which  he  showed 
little  of  tin*  character  of  a  Christian  ;  also  the  establishment 
at  liy/antinns  of  the  new  capital  of  the  Roman  Empire, 
afterwards  called  Constant  i  no^lt^  from  its  founder.  The 
motives  which  led  Constantine  to  the  choice  of  a  new  capital 
on  a  spot  which  seemed  formed  by  nature  to  be  the  metrop- 
olis of  a  great  empire,  were  those  of  policy  and  interest, 
mingled  with  feelings  of  revenge  for  insults  which  he  had 
received  at  Rome,  where  he  was  execrated  for  abandoning 
the  religion  of  his  forefathers.'*  —  Outline  of  History,  by 
M  \i:r irs  WII.-ON,  pnge  123. 

Constantino  "assumed  to  unite  in  his  own  person  the 
civil  and  ecclesiastical  dominion,  and  claimed  the  power  of 
convening  councils  and  presiding  in  them,  and  of  regulating 
the  external  affairs  of  the  church." 

The  bishop  of  Rome  far  surpassed  all  others  in  the  magnif- 
ieence  and  splendor  of  the  church  over  which  he  presided. 
1 1  was  the  centre  of  wealth  and  power.  The  bishop  is  said 
to  have  ontdoiKj  princes  in  the  expense  of  his  tables,  sump- 
tuous feasts,  rich  coaches,  and  costly  array  and  display. 
''This  led  Pnetextatus,  a  heathen,  who  was  prefect  of  the 
city,  to  say,  'Make  me  bishop  of  Rome,  and  I  will  be  a 
Christian,  too!'" — AUMINIUS  MARCELLINUS,  Liber  XXVII., 
Chap.  XXXI. 

4k  It  is  true  that  so  early  as  the  second  century,  Victor, 
bishop  of  Rome,  had  attempted  to  lord  it  over  his  brethren  of  t> 
tl,,    IVIM." —  History  of  Romanism,  pages  32  and  34. 

There  was  a  rivalrv  between  Rome  and  Constantinople, 


298  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

the  two  seats  of  empire.  Hitherto  the  chief  city  had  the 
chief  bishop.  Rome  was  overrun  by  barbarians,  and  was 
on  the  decline.  Constantinople,  the  seat  of  civilization,  was 
on  the  ascendency.  There  was  a  conflict  between  the  bishops 
of  these  respective  cities  of  power  and  wealth,  as  to  which 
would  be  recognized  as  the  greatest  in  the  esteem  of  the 
popular  will.  There  was  nothing  settled  as  to  who  carried 
the  "  keys "  of  St.  Peter,  or  who  was  his  successor. 
Earthly  power  and  opulence  were  the  means  of  dignifying 
and  making  prominent  bishops. 

"The  council  of  Chalcedon  was  held  A.  D.  451,  and 
notwithstanding  the  pre-eminence  assumed  therein  by  the 
legate  of  the  bishop  of  Rome,  he  had  not  power  or  influence 
to  prevent  the  passage  of  a  canon  which  proved  extremely 
odious  to  his  lordly  master,  Leo,  who  has  been  surnamed  the 
Great,  and  which  resulted  in  a  protracted  and  bitter  contro- 
versy between  the  bishops  of  Rome  and  Constantinople,  as 
to  who  should  be  greatest.  Some  years  previous  to  this 
time,  since  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  the  empire  to  Constan- 
tinople, the  ambition  and  assumption  of  the  bishop  of  Con- 
stantinople had  almost  equalled  that  of  Rome.  He  had 
lately  usurped  the  spiritual  government  of  the  provinces  of 
Asia  Minor,  Thrace,  Pontus,  and  the  eastern  part  of  Illyri- 
cum,  very  much  to  the  chagrin  and  dissatisfaction  of  Leo. 
This  dissatisfaction  was  increased  when,  by  the  twent}^-eighth 
canon  of  the  council  of  Chalcedon,  it  was  resolved  that  the  ] 
same  rights  and  honors  which  had  been  conferred  upon  thg 
bishop  of  Rome  were  due  to  the  bishop  of  Constantinople, 
on  account  of  the  equal  dignity  and  lustre  of  the  .two  cities  • 
in  which  these  prelates  exercised  their  authority.  The  same 
council  confirmed  also,  by  solemn  act,  the  bishop  of  Con- 
stantinople in  the  spiritual  government  of  these  provinces 
over  which  he  had  ambitiously  usurped  the  jurisdiction."  — 
Ibid.,  page  41. 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  299 

"  By  general  consent  a  kind  of  superiority  of  rank  had 
long  been  conceded  to  the  bishop  of  Rome,  chiefly  from  the 
fact  that  that  city  was  the  first  in  rank  and  importance,  and 
the  ancient  capital  of  the  Empire  ;  and  upon  the  same  ground 
it  was  that  the  council  of  Chalcedon,  already  referred  to, 

*  proceeding  on  the  principle  that  the  importance  of  a  bishnp 

t<ded  alone  on  tlie  political  consequence  of  the  city  in  which 
the  same  rights  to  the  bishop  of  Constan- 
tinople  in   the   Eastern  church  which   the    bishop  of  Rome 
enjoyed  in  the  Western.'"  —  ( \  M>I;I.I;I;,  Vol.  I.,  page  269. 

Concerning  the  popish  claims  that  Peter  was  the  first 
bishop  of  Koine,  and  that  the  keys  committed  to  him  had 

•  IcM-ended  to  them,  it  is  asserted  that  "  there  is  no  histori- 
cal  proof  whatever  "  that  Peter  was  ever  at  ROI^Q.     "  There 
is  no  mention  in  the  New  Testament  that  Peter  ever  was  at 
Home,    and     hence     Scaliger,    Salmasiiis,    Spanheim,   Adam 
Clark,  and  many  other  learned  writers  have  denied  that  he 
ever  visited  that  city.     Hut  supposing  the  Romish  tradition 
to  be  true,  that  he  suffered  death  at  Rome,  in  company  with 
the  Apostle   Paul,  about  A.   D.  65,  still  there  is  no  proof 
whatever  that  he  was  bishop  of  Rome,  or  that  he  had  any 
particular  connection   with  the  church  or  churches  in  that 
city,  any  more  than  had  Paul,  or  any  other  of  the  apostles. 
.   .   .  Now,  if   Pope  Peter  was  also  at  Rome,  and  more  espe- 
cially if  he  \\as  there  in  the  character  of  'supreme  head  of 
the  church  universal,'  is  it  not  most  astonishing  that  Paul 
should  take  not  the  slightest  notice  of  him,  and  that  neither^ 
the  sacred  Scriptures  nor  any  of  the  apostolic  fathers  should 
say  one  word  in  relation  to  his  connection  with  the  church  in_ 
that  city  ':  "  —  Jlisfnnj-of  Romanism,  page  45. 

Further:  '-Supposing  that  it  could*  be  proved,  which  we 
h.-ive  shown  that  it  cannot,  that  Peter,  during  his  life,  was 
the  supreme  head  of  the  church  on  earth,  still  it  would  be 
impossible  to  prove  that  this  supremacy  descended  down  from 


300  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

one  generation  to  another,  through  the  long  line  of  popes, 
many  of  whom,  as  we  shall  show,  in  the  progress  of  this 
work,  were  monsters  of  vice  and  impurity ;  there  is  no 
evidence  that  the  apostles  had  the  slightest  expectation  of 
any  such  regular  line  of  descent.  The  New  Testament  does 
not  say  a  single  word  about  it,  and  even  the  Roman  bishops 
themselves  did  not  make  the  claim  to  have  derived  their 
power  from  Peter  till  several  centuries  after  the  apostolic 
age." 

"  In  the  course  of  the  sixth  century,  the  city  of  Rome 
thrice  witnessed  the  disgraceful  spectacle  of  rival  pontiffs, 
with  fierce  hated,  bloodshed,  and  massacre,  contending  with 
each  other  for  the  spiritual  throne." 

"  During  the  last  few  years  of  the.  sixth  century,  the  con- 
test for  supremacy  between  the  bishops  of  Rome  and  Con- 
stantinople raged  with  greater  acrimony  than  at  any  pre- 
ceding period.  The  bishop  of  Constantinople  not  only 
claimed  an  unrivalled  sovereignty  over  the  Eastern  churches, 
but  also  maintained  that  his  church  was  in  point  of  dignity 
no  way  inferior  to  that  of  Rome."  —  Ibid.,  pages  48, 
"T§75l7  H'S  - 

j  fj       Says  Mo&heim  :  "  To  enumerate  the  rights  and  institutions 
^  that  were  added  in  this  century  [the  fifth]  to  the  Christian 
worship  would  require  a  volume  of  considerable  size." 

By  the  beginning  of  the  sixth  century,  "  the  Roman  pon- 
tiff was  constituted  judge  in  the  place  of  God,  which  he  filled 
as  the  vicegerent  of  the  Most  High."  —  MOSHEIM,  pages  396 
and  443. 

Under  Constantine,  in  the  year  325,  church  and  state 
were  in  a  manner  united,  and  the  Emperor  became  the  chief 
director  in  both.  The  decline  and  transition  were  onward 
and  rapid,  until  the  ancient  church  was  completely  changed, 
disrobed  of  all  her  power  and  beauty,  find  obscured  utterly 
in  the  dark  wilderness  of  sin. 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  301 


TIIK  SUPREMACY  OF  ROMANISM. THE  POPES. THE    MIDNIGHT 

OF   THE    WORLD. 

The  Middle  Ages,  to  which  it  is  impossible  to  fix  accu- 
rate limits,  may  be  considered  as  embracing  that  dark  and 
gloomy  period  of  about  a  thousand  years,  extending  from 
the  fall  of  the  Western  empire  of  the  Romans  nearly  to  the 
close  of  the  fifteenth  century,  at  which  point  we  detect  the 
dawn  of  modern  civilization,  and  enter  upon  the  clearly 
marked  outlines  of  modern  history.  "  The  history  of  Europe 
during  several  centuries  after  the  overthrow  of  the  Western 
Roman  Empire  offers  little  real  instruction  to  repay  the  labor 
of  wading  through  the  intricate  and  bloody  annals  of  a  bar- 
lia  nuis  age.  The  fall  ofjthc  Roman  Empire  had  carried  away_ 
with^jt.  ftnflip-nt.  fuvilizfit.ion."  —Wir  SON'S  Outlines,  page  237. 

44  The  period  upon  which  we  are  now  to  enter,"  says  Dow- 
ling,  "  comprising  the  ninth  and  tenth  centuries,  with  the 
Lrn-ater  part  of  the  eleventh,  is  the  darkest  in  the  annals  of 
Christianity.  It  was  a  long  night  of  almost  universal  dark- 
ness, ignorance,  and  superstition,  with  scarcely  a  ray  of 
light  to  illuminate 'the  gloom.  This  period  has  been  appro- 
priately designated  by  various  historians  as  the  c  Dark  Ages,' 
the  *  Iron  Age,'  the  '  Leaden  Age,'  and  the  '  Midnight  of  the 
World.'  .  .  .  During  these  centuries  it  was  rare  for  a  lay- 
man, of  whatever  rank,  to  know  how  to  sign  his  name  ;  still 
more  extraordinary  was  it  to  find  one  who  had  any  tincture 
of  learning.  Even  the  clergy  were  for  a  long  period  not  very 
superior  as  a  body  to  the  uninstructed  laity.  ...  In  almost 
every  council  the  ignorance  of  the  clergy  forms  a  subject 
for  reproach,  and  by  one  council,  held  in  992,  it  is  asserted 
that  scarcely  a  single  person  was  to  be  found  in  Rome  itself 
who  knew  the  first  elements  of  letters.  ..."  (HALLAM, 
paire  4GO.)  — History  of  Romanism,  page  181. 


302  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

wwerfsAt    pope 

THE  TITLE  OF  "  UNIVERSAL  BISHOP  "  BESTOWED  ON  BONIFACE, 
BISHOP  OF  ROME,  BY  THE  USURPER  AND  TYRANT  PHOC  AS, 
IN  THE  YEAR  605. 

"  Boniface,  who  succeeded  to  the  Roman  see  in,  605,  .  .  . 
applied  to  the  Emperor  Phooas,  a  cruel  and  Hood-  thirsty 
tyrant,  who  had  made  his  way  to  the  throne  by  assassinating 
his  predecessor,  and  earnestly  solicited  the  title  [of  uni- 
versal bishop],  with  the  privilege  of  handing  it  down  to  his 
successors.  The  profligate  Emperor,  who  had  a  secret  grudge 
against  the  bishop  of  Constantinople,  granted  the  request  of 
Boniface,  and  after  strictly  forbidding  the  former  prelate  to 
use  the  title,"con7erred  it  upon  the  latter  in  the  year  606,  and 
declared  the  Church  of  Rome  to  be  the  head  of  all  other 
_churches. 

"  Henceforward  the  religion  of  Rome  is  properly  styled 
POPERY,  OR  THE  RELIGION  OF  THE  POPE.  Previous  to  the 


- 


year  606  there  was  properly  no  TOPE."  — 
"TSm,  page  55. 

fc*  The  brstowment  of  the  title  of  universal  bishop  by 
Phocas,  the  tyrant,  upon  Boniface  III.,  bishop  of  Rome,  the 
first  of  the  popes,  and  the  consequent  establishment  of  papal 
supremacy,  was  the  memorable  event  that  embodied  into  a 
system  and  cemented  into  one  the  various  false  doctrines, 
corrupt  practices,  and  vain  and  superstitious  rites  and  cere- 
monies which  had  arisen  in  earlier  ages,  to  deface  the  beauty 
and  mar  the  simplicity  of  Christian  worship.  Before  this 
event,  the  bishop  of  Rome  had  no  power  to  enforce  his  decis- 
ions upon  other  churches  and  bishops."  —  Ibid.,  page  57. 

Says  Marsh  :  — 

"  At  length,  in  the  commencement  of  the  seventh  century, 
the  Emperor  Phocas  conferred  upon  Boniface  IIL^Jbisliop  of 
Rome,  the  title  of  ecumenical,  or  universal,  bishop.  Tin's 
title  had  been  usurped  by  the  bishop  of  Constantinople,.  but 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  303 

it_was  now  in  this  public  manner  taken  from  him  and  con- 
ferred  upon  the  bishop  of  Rome  ;  and  this,  too,  by  one  of  the 
nio-t  odious  tyrants  that  ever  lived.  .  .  .  The  world  was 
sunk  in  Kiryptian  darkness.  The  cultivation  of  the  human 
intei  abandoned.  .  .  .  The  great  mass  of  the  clergy 

were  incapable  of  reading  the  Apostles' Creed."  —  MARSH, 
page  225. 

<"  The  priests  and  bishops  were  a  most  worthless,  stupid, 
and  corrupt  race.  They  often  passed  their  lives  in  the  splen- 
dor of  courts,  or  at  the  head  of  soldiers,  and  aspired  to  the 
honors  of  dukes,  marquesses,  and  counts.  Even  the  Roman 
pon lifts,  with  a  few  exceptions,  were  monsters  of  iniquity."  — 
////</., 


nir  roi  i:  M\!>K  A  TEMPORAL  PRINCE  BY  THE  USURPER  PEPIN  ; 

A    REIGN   OF   TYRANNY   FOLLOWED. 

"  At  the  time  of  the  Saracen  invasion  of  France,  Charles 
M  artel,   the  guardian   of  the  nominal  sovereign,  governed 
France,  with  the  humble  title  of  mayor,  or  duke.     His  son 
IVpin  succeeded  him,  and  during  the  minority  of  his  royal  » 
ward,  the  imbecile  Childeric  III.  wielded  the  power  without  L 
ning  the  name  and  honors  of  royalty  ;  but  at  length,  in   '< 
7 ."n'.  he  threw  off  the  mask,  obtained  a  decree  of  Pope  Zach- 
arv   in   his    favor,    dethroned  the  last  of  the  Merovingian 
kings,  and  caused  himself  to  be  crowned  in  the  presence  of 
the  Mafimhled  nation,  the  first  monarch  of  the  Carlovingian 
dynasty.     It  was  uponjihis  occasion.,  lhat  the  popes  first  ex- 
ercised the  authority  of  enthroning  and  dethroning  kings. 

u  The  word  pope  comes  from  the  Greek  word  papa,  and 
signifies  father.  In  the  early  times  of  Christianity  this  appel- 
lation was  given  to  all  Christian  priests ;  but  during  many 
centuries  past  it  has  been  appropriated  to  the  bishop  of 
Rome,  whom  the  Roman  Catholics  look  upon  as  the  common 


304  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

father  of  all  Christians.  During,  a  long  period  after  the  jn- 
troduction  of  Christianity  into  Rome,  the  bishops  of  Rome 
were  merely  fathers  of  the  church,  and  possessed  no  temporal 
power.  It  was  customary,  however,  to  consult  the  pope  in 
temporal  matters  ;  and  the  powerful  Pepin  found  no  difficulty 
in  obtaining  ,a  papal  decision  in  favor  of  dethroning  the  im- 
becile Childeric,  and  inducing  the  pope  to  come  to  Paris  to 
officiate  at  his  coronation.  Soon  after,  in  755,  Pepin 
invested  the  pope  with  the  exarchate  of  Ravenna  ;  and  it_Js 
at  this  point  —  the  union  of  temporal  and  spiritual  jurisdic- 


tion— (&o$  the  proper  history  of  the  papacy  begins.^  Charle- 
magne and  succeeding  princes  added  other  provinces  to  the 
papal  government  ;  but  a  long  struggle  for  supremacy  fol- 
lowed, between  the  popes  and  the  German  emperors  ;  and 
under  the  pontificate  of  Gregory  VII.,  towards  the  close  of 
the  eleventh  century,  the  claims  of  the  Roman  pontiffs  to 
supremacy  over  all  the  sovereigns  of  the  earth  were  boldly 
asserted  as  the  base  of  the  political  system  of  the  papacy." 
—  WILSON'S  Outlines  of  History,  page  256. 

4kln  the  year  755  the  pope  became  a  temporal  prince, 
'  the  little  horn.'  For  countenancing  the  dethronement  of 
Childeric  III.,  king  of  France,  and  crowning  Pepin,  Pepin 
gave  to  the  Roman  see  the  exarchate  of  Ravenna,  Pentop- 
olis,  and  twenty-one  cities  and  castles.  Charlemagne,  his 
son  and  successor,  aimed  at  the  Empire  of  the  West.  He 
accomplished  his  purpose,  went  to  Rome  and  was  crowned  ; 
and  in  return  for  services,  ceded  to  the  papal  see  several 
cities  and  provinces,  and  gave  it  a  subordinate  jurisdiction 
over  Rome  and  the  annexed  territory,  enabling  it  to  become 
the  seat  of  wealth  and  magnificence.  .  .  .  The  Man  of  Sin 
came  in,  as  Paul  said  he  would,  '  After  the  workings  of 
Satan,  with  all  power,  and  signs,  and  lying  wonders,  and  with 
all  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness  in  them  that  perish.' 
He  arrogated  to  himself  godlike  titles  and  attributes,  King 


PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD.         305 

of  Kings,  Universal  Father,  Master,  of  the  World  ;  set  him- 
self above  all  laws,  human  and  divine  ;  by  taxes  and  massa- 
cres he  oppressed  and  wore  out  the  saints ;  he  changed 
4  times  and  laws,' appointing  innumerable  fasts  and  feasts, 
new  modes  of  worship,  and  new  articles  of  faith,  and  support- 
ing iiiniM'lf  by  the  most  infamous  frauds  and  barefaced  pre- 
trn>ions  to  miracles.  The  most  powerful  monarchs  were 
powerless  before  him.  Emperors  led  his  horse  and  held  his 
stirrup.  Kings  jer^  fttripppd  by  him  of  their  honor-and— 
power,  and  whole  realms  were  deprived  of  every  religious 
privilege. 

44  For  refusing  to  surrender  to  him  the  right  of  investure, 
tlic  right  ever  claimed  by  the  princes  of  Europe,  of  confer- 

^  ring  tin1  most  important  places  in  the  churches  and  monas- 
teries upon  whom  they  pleased,  by  the  ceremony  of  presenting 

'  ^the   ring   and   crosier,  Hildebrand,  Gregory  VII.,  a   pope 

\T  haughty  and  arrogant  in  the  extreme,  drove  Henry,  Emperor 
of  (iennany,  from  his  throne,  and  compelled  him,  in  the 
winter  of  1077,  to  cross  the  Alps,  and  stand  three  days  in 
the  open  air  at  the  entrance  of  the  pontiff's  palace,  with  his 
IVet  bare,  his  head  uncovered,  and  no  other  garment  but  a 
i-oarse  woollen  cloth  thrown  around  his  naked  body,  and  im- 
plore forgiveness  and  a  restoration  to  his  dominions. 

u  For  sanctioning,  as  was  supposed,  the  violent  death  o{ 
Thomas  a  Becket,  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  a  man  who  had 

7j  a«{uire<l,  by'hia^re tended  sanctity,  a  most  amazing  power, 
Henry  II.,  ki^g  of  England,  was  compelled  by  Pope  Alex- 
ander to  walk  barefoot  over  three  miles  of  flinty  road,  with 
only  a  coarse  cloth  over  his  shoulders,  to  the  shrine  of  the 
murdered  saint,  where  eighty  monks,  four  bishops,  abbot?, 
and  other  clergy,  who  were  present,  whipped  his  bare  back 
with  a  knotted  cord,  compelled  him  to  drink  water  mingled 
with  liecket's  blood,  and  give  forty  pounds  a  year  for  topers 
to  burn  perpetually  before  the  martyr's  tomb. 


306  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

"  For  opposing  him  in  the  appointment  of  an  archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  Pope  Innocent  III.,  in  the  commencement  of 
the  thirteenth  century,  excommunicated  John,  king  of  Eng- 
land ;  forbidding  all  persons  to  eat,  drink,  or  converse  with 
him,  or  do  him  service  ;  absolving  all  his  subjects  from  his 
allegiance  ;  ordering  the  other  monarchs  of  Europe  to  kill 
him,  and  laid  the  whole  kingdom  under  an  interdict,  so  that 
every  religious  privilege  was  taken  away  ;  every  church  was 
shut ;  no  bell  was  heard  ;  no  taper  lighted  ;  no  divine  service 
performed  ;  no  sacrament  administered  ;  no  priest  was  pres- 
ent, and  no  funeral  solemnity  was  allowed  in  the  burial  of 
;,he  dead  ;  and  no  place  of  interment  was  permitted  but  the 
lighways."  —  MARSH'S  Ecclesiastical  History,  page  232. 


TRANSUBSTANTIATION . 

"In  the  year  831,  a  monk  named  Paschasius  Kadbert 
advanced  the  strange  sentiment  that  the  bread  and  wine  used 
in  the  Lord's  supper  were,  by  consecration,  converted  into 
the  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  was  actu- 
ally the  same  as  was  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  as  suffered 
on  the  cross,  and  was  raised  from  the  dead.  ...  In  1215 
it  was  declared  by  Innocent  III.  to  be  a  doctrine  whose 
belief  is  necessary  to  salvation.  Thus  was  the  doctrine  of 
Transubstantiation  introduced.  ...  From  this  proceeded 
the  thin  wafer,  which  the  Catholics  use  in  the  sacrament, 
that  no  part  of  the  precious  body  of  Christ  may  be  lost,  and 
the  prohibition  of  the  wine  to  the  laity ;  for  if  the  bread  is 
the  real  body  of  Christ,  it  contains  his  blood,  and  the  wine 
is  superfluous,  and  should  not  be  wasted;  only  it  might  be 
used  by  the  priests,  who  need  a  double  portion." — Ibid.,  page 
236. 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  307 


SI  1  l.RSTITION,     li:\l  1>,     AND    FLAGRANT   VICES    PREVAIL    UNDER 
TIIK    DOMINION    OF   THE    PAPACY. 

••  Wheivvi-r  we  turn  our  eyes  among  the  various  ranks  and 
orders  of  the  clergy,  we  perceive  in  this  century  [the  twelfth] 
the  most  flagrant  marks  of  licentiousness,  fraud,  ignorance, 
luxury,    and    other    vices,    whose  pernicious  effects    were 
ply  felt,    both    iii  church   and    state."-  — MOSIIEIM,  Vol. 
III.,  Part  II.,  Chap.  II.,  page  41. 
ain  :  — 

k%  When  we  consider  the  multitude  of  causes  which  uuitechv 
their    influences   in    oi ^curing  the  lustre  of  genuine  Chris-    \ 
tianity,  and  corrupting  it  by  a  profane  mixture  of  the  inven- 
tions of  superstitious  and  designing  men  with  its  pure  and 
subl:  nies,  it  will  appear  surprising  that  the  religion 

of  J.  \  i.ot  totally  extinguished.     All  orders  contrib- 

uted, though  in    ditTerent  ways,  to  corrupt  the  native  purity     v 
of    true   religion.     The  Roman  pontiffs  led  the  way  ;    they     Y 
would  not  suffer  nny  doctrines  that  had  the  smallest  tendency    j\ 
to  diminish  their  despotic  authority,  but  obliged  the  public 
l.-achcrs  to  interpret  the  precepts  of  Christianity  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  render  them  subservient  to  the  support  of  papal 
dominion  and  tyranny.     This  order  was  so  much  the  more 
terrible,  in   that  such   as   refused   to  comply  with  it  ... 
were    answered  with  the  formidable  arguments  of  lire  and   S 

.  d,  and  received  death  in  the  most  cruel  forms."  —  Ibid., 
Vol.  II.,  (hap.  III.,  Part  I.,  page  81. 

Under  the  reign  of  the  universal  ignorance  of  the  times, 
k-  all  of  the  various  ranks  and  orders  of  the  clergy  had  each 
their  peculiar  method  of  fleecing  the  people.  The  bishops, 
when  they  wanted  money  for  their  private  pleasures  or  for 
the  exigencies  of  the  church,  granted  to  their  flock  the  power 
of  purchasing  remission  of  the  penalties  imposed  upon  trans- 
gressors, by  a  sum  of  money  which  was  to  be  applied  to 


308  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 


certain  religious  purposes  ;  or,  in  other  words,  they  published 
indulgences,  which  became  an  inexhaustible  source  of  opu- 
lence to  the  episcopal  orders.  The  abbots  and  monks,  who 
were  not  qualified  to  grant  indulgences,  had  recourse  to  other 
methods  of  enriching  their  convents.  They  carried  about 
the  country  the  carcasses  and  relics  of  the  saints  in  solemn 
procession,  and  permitted  the  multitude  to  behold,  touch, 
and  embrace  these  sacred  and  lucrative  remains  at  certain 
fixed  prices.  The  monastic  orders  gained  often  as  much  by 
this  rover-show  as  the  bishops  did  by  their  indulgences."  — 
Ibid.,  Vol.  III.,  page  84. 

"  The  history  of  the  popes  [in  the  beginning  of  the  thir- 
teenth century]  presents  a  lively  and  horrible  picture  of  the 
complicated  crimes  that  dishonored  the  ministers  of  the 
church.  .  .  The  popes  more  especially  inculcated  that  perni- 
cious maxim,  '  that  the  bishop  of  Rome  is  the  supreme  lord  of 
the  universe,  and  that  neither  princes  nor  bishops,  civil  gov- 
ernors nor  ecclesiastical  rulers,  have  any  lawful  power  in 
church  or  state  but  what  they  derive  from  him."'  —  Ibid., 
Vol.  in.,  Part  II.,  Chap.  II.,  page  165. 

"  It  would  be  endless  to  enumerate  the  additions  that  were 
made  in  this  century  to  the  external  part  of  divine  worship, 
in  order  to  increase  its  pomp  and  render  it  more  striking." 
—  Ibid.,  Vol.  III.,  page  260. 

"  To  give  a  full  account  of  all  the  operations,  corruptions, 
superstitions,  frauds,  and  enormities  of  the  monks,  their 
bitter  animosities  and  contentions,  would  require  volumes. 
Their  history  sickens  the  heart.  To  see  men,  under  pretence 
of  great  devotedness  to  God,  leading  the  most  loathsome, 
filthy  life  ;  sometimes  casting  off  all  clothing,  and  going  on 
all-fours  like  beasts  ;  secreting  themselves  in  dens  and  holes, 
or  wandering  about  in  the  extremes  of  wretchedness,  with 
their  hair  and  beard  of  an  enormous  length,  and  their  bodies 
covered  with  vermin  ;  eating,  of  choice,  the  most  nauseous 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  309 

food ;  wearing  heavy  chains ;  fastening  grates  upon  their 
breasts  and  backs;  girding  themselves  with  bandages  of 
bristles  and  sharp-pointed  wires;  flogging  themselves  with 
thorn  sticks;  mutilating  their  bodies,  etc."  —  MARSH,  page 
iM'j. 

44  The  papacy  attained  its  zenith  in  the  thirteenth  century. 
At  that  period  the  Romish  system  was  fully  developed.  Inno- 
Oen1  III.,  Bfl  UK'  vicar  of  Christ,  claimed  for  himself  divine 
prerogatives.  It  was  contended  by  the  interpreters  of 
canon  law  that  the  sentence  of  the  pope,  as  the  vicegerent  of 
lii'iiven,  superseded  all  reasons  and  precluded  every  kind 
of  appeal.  Sarerdotal  pretension  rose  to  its  highest  pitch. 
Alexander  Hales  and  Thomas  Aquinas  began  to  teach  boldly 
that  the  priest  could  '  make  the  body  of  Christ'  and  '  act  in 
the  person  of  Christ.'  The  theory  of  transubstantiation, 
invented  by  the  schoolmen,  received  formal  sanction  for  the 
time  at  the  council  of  Lateran,  in  the  year  1215.  The 
celibacy  of  the  priesthood  now  became  an  inviolable  law. 
i  rated  as  a  distinct  caste  from  ordinary  society,  the 
clerical  body  acted  everywhere  as  the  legionaries  of  the  papal 
court.  The  network  of  ecclesiastical  power  was  spread  over 
all  the  nations  of  Christendom,  bringing  within  its  meshes 
people  of  every  class  and  condition.  The  supremacy  and 
independence  of  popedom,  secured  by  the  genius  and  in- 
domitable energy  of  Hildebrand  (Gregory  VII.),  and  main- 
tained by  the  craft  and  diligence  of  his  successors,  Boni- 
face VIII.  (1294-1303)  resolved  to  make  perpetual  by  the 
force  of  an  unalterable  decree.  Circumstances  seemed  to 
favor  his  ambitious  design.  The  powers  of  Europe  at  the 
time  were  wasting  their  resources  in  mutual  strife.  The 
sovereign  pontiff  seized  with  eagerness  the  occasion  to 
accomplish  his  long-cherished  purposes  of  aggrandizement. 

"  In  the  course  of  a  long  and  desperate  contest  with  Philip 
the  Fair,  for  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  supremacy  in  the 


310  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

kingdom  of  France,  be  issued,  in  November,  1302,  the  famous 
bull,  entitled  UNOM  SANCTUM,  in  which  he  set  forth  the  de- 
mands of  the  holy  see  in  their  most  stringent  form.  '  The 
church/  he  therein  declares,  4  is  one  body,  and  has  one 
head.  Under  its  command  are  two  swords  :  the  one  to  be 
used  by  the  supreme  pontiff  himself  ;  the  other  by  kings  and 
knights,  by  his  license  and  at  his  will.  But  the  lesser  sword 
must  be  subject  to  the  greater,  and  the  temporal  to  the  spir- 
itual authority.  We  declare  that  every  human  being  must  be 
subject  to  the  see  of  Rome.  We  assert,  we  define,  and  pro- 
nounce this  to  be  an  article  of  faith.  .  .  .'  For  the  distinct 
appeal  to  4  every  man's  conscience,7  made  by  the  apostles, 
was  substituted  the  pagan  principle  of  unreasoning  coercion. 
Instead  of  the  '  kingdom'  which  is  c  not  of  this  world,'  we  find 
a  dominant  hierarchy  asserting  its  supremacy  over  every 
court  in  Europe,  and  exacting  its  claims  by  fire  and  sword. 
The  law  of  Christ  w?s  set  aside  for  a  yoke  of  papal  decrees 
and  injunctions.  The  very  idea  of  the  church  as  a  com- 
pany of  sincere  Christian  believers  appears  almost  to  have 
passed  out  of  remembrance.  .  .  .  All  traces  of  primitive 
purity  were  lost  in  the  excesses  of  vice  and  in  the  perpetra- 
tion of  crimes  that  made  the  papal  court  a  sink  of  abomina- 
tion. .  .  .  The  supreme  pontiff  himself  was  not  unfrequently 
the  nominee  of  some  ruthless  demagogue,  rude  soldiers,  ambi- 
tious prince,  or  daring  woman,  who  expected  to  share  the 
worldly  advantages  of  his  elevation.  As  the  papal  court 
rose  in  temporal  greatness,  it  sunk  in  moral  corruption. 

"A  century  before  the  accession  of  Boniface  VIII.,  when 
things  were  continually  growing  worse,  Saint  Bernard  called 
attention  to  the  enormities  existing;  in  the  Romish  Church. 

o 

Writing  to  Innocent  II.,  he  says:  'There  is  but  one  voice 
among  our  faithful  bishops,  which  declares  that  justice  is  van- 
ishing from  the  church,  and  the  power  of  the  keys  is  gone ; 
that  episcopal  authority  is  dwindling  away ;  that  a  bishop 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PHIESTHOOD.  311 

can  no  longer  redress  wrong  nor  chasten  iniquity,  However 
great,  in  his  own  diocese  ;  and  the  blame  of  all  this  they  lay 
on  YOU  and  on  the  Roman  Court.  The  ambitions,  the 
adulterous,  the  incestuous,  and  all  such  monsters  of  human- 
ity. Hock  to  Rome,  in  order  either  to  obtain  or  keep  eccle- 
•ieal  honors  in  the  hands  of  the  pope/"  —  JOHN  WAD- 
MV.ION,  1).  D.,  on  Congregational  History,  pages  1-4. 

"  During  the  whole  course  of  this  [the  thirteenth]  century 
the  Roman  pontiff  carried  on  the  most  barbarous  and  inhu- 
man persecution  against  those  whom  they  branded  with  the 
denomination  of  heretics;  i.  e.,  against  till  those  who  called 
their  pretended  authority  and  jurisdiction  in  question,  or 
tuii-ht  doctrines  different  from  those  which  were  adopted  and 
propagated  by  the  Church  of  Rome. 

'"  From  this  period  [about  1235]  we  are  to  date  the  com- 
mencement of  the  dreadful  tribunal  of  the  Inquisition,  which 
in  this  and  the  following  ages  subdued  such  a  prodigious 
multitude  of  heretics,  part  of  whom  were  converted  to  the 
church  by  terror,  and  the  rest  committed  to  the  flames  with-" 
out  mercy.'1  Before  this  court  were  summoned  "not  only 
Aere/tV.s,  and  persons  suspected  of  heresy,  but  likewise  all  who 
were  accused  of  magic  sorcery,  Judaism,  witchcraft,  and 
other  crimes  of  that  kind."--  MOSIIEIM,  Vol.  III.,  page  270. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century,  during 
the  quarrel  between  Boniface  VIII.  and  Philip,  king  of 
France,  the  pope  issued  a  bull,  in  which  he  u  asserted  that 
.JeMis  Christ  had  granted  a  twofold  power  to  his  church,  or 
in  other  words,  the  spiritual  and  temporal  sword;  that  he 
had  subjected  the  whole  human  race  to  the  authority  of  the 
Roman  pontiff,  and  that  whoever  dared  to  disbelieve  it  were 
to  be  deemed  heretics,  and  stood  excluded  from  all  possibility 
of  salvation."  —  Ibid.,  Vol.  III.,  page  313. 

Of  the  fifteenth  century,  it  is  said  that  "  the  state  of 
religion  was  become  so  corrupt  among  the  Latins,  that  it  was 


312  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

utterly  destitute  of  anything  that  could  attract  the  esteem 
of  the  truly  virtuous  and  judicious  part  of  mankind.  This 
is  a  fact  which  even  they  whose  prejudices  render  them 
unwilling  to  acknowledge  it,  will  never  presume  to  deny. 
Among  the  Greeks  and  Orientals,  religion  had  scarcely  a 
better  aspect.  .  .  .  The  worship  of  the  Deity  consisted  in 
a  round  of  frivolous  and  insipid  ceremonies.  The  discourses 
of  those  who  instructed  the  people  in  public  were  not  only 
destitute  of  sense,  judgment,  and  spirit,  but  even  of  piety 
and  devotion,  and  were  in  reality  nothing  more  than  a  motley 
mixture  of  the  grossest  fictions  and  the  most  extravagant 
inventions." —  Ibid.,  Vol.  III.,  page  445. 

THE    INQUISITION. 

"But  a  still  more  terrible  scourge,  by  which  the  saints 
were  worn  out  and  the  dominion  of  the  pope  was  main- 
tained, was  the  Inquisition.  This  was  established  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  and  has  continued  a  tremendous  engine 
of  power  to  this  day.  It  was  occasioned  by  the  increase  of 
heretics,  as  they  were  called,  L  e,,  of  men  who  dared  to 
think  for  themselves,  call  in  question  the  power  of  the  pope, 
and  view  him  as  the  antichrist  predicted  by  John.  These 
were  numerous  in  Gaul,  and  Innocent  III.  sent  some  legates, 
A.  D.  1204,  to  extirpate  them,  root  and  branch.  These 
bloodhounds,  having  Dominic  at  their  head,  were  called 
inquisitors  ;  and  so  serviceable  were  they  found  to  the  papal 
cause,  that  the  pontiff  established  inquisitors  in  every  city. 
A  tremendous  court  was  erected  by  them,  first  at  Thoulouse, 
and  afterwards  in  the  various  cities,  embracing  three  inquis- 
itors or  judges,  a  fiscal  proctor,  two  secretaries,  a  magistrate, 
a  messenger,  a  reviewer,  a  jailer,  an  agent  of  confiscated 
possessions,  several  assessors,  counsellors,  executioners^ 
physicians,  surgeons,  door-keepers,  familiars,  and  visitors, 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  313 

rill  of  whom  were  sworn  to  secrecy.  By  this  court,  men  were 
tried  not  only  for  heresy,  or  opposition  to  the  Court  of  Rome, 
but  for  inngic,  sorcery,  Judaism,  and  witchcraft,  and  either 
imprisoned  for  life  or  put  to  the  most  lingering  and  torment- 
in-  death."  -  MARSH,  pages  233,  234. 

44  Fell  superstition  was  increased  by  every  art  and  device, 
until  reason  was  lost,  and  the  world  raved  in  an  awful 
mania.  With  the  utmost  hardihood,  and  a  success  which  is 
altogether  unaccountable,  the  pontiff  and  monks  continually 
imposed  upon  the  multitude,  by  presenting  to  them  pre- 
tended relics  of  "ancient  saints;  a  skull,  a  finger,  a  jaw,  a 
bone,  or  a  tooth.  They  even  held  up  to  the  admiring  crowd 
the  clothes  in  which  Christ  was  wrapped  in  his  infancy ; 
pieres  of  the  manger  in  which  he  was  laid,  of  the  cross 
on  which  lie  was  hung,  of  the  spear  which  pierced  his  side, 
of  the  bread  which  he  broke  at  the  last  supper,  yea,  por- 
tions of  the  Virgin  Mary's  milk,  and  of  the  Saviour's  blood." 
—  77»V.,  page  23G. 

"  For   three    centuries    an    incessant    persecution    raged 
against  them.     All  the  horrors  of  the  Inquisition  were  em- 
ployed for  their  subjection.     Armies  were  raised  and  sent  to 
terrify  them  into  submission  or  utterly  extirpate  them.     By 
the  axe,  by  fire,  the  sword,  and  other  shocking  barbarities  p 
they  were  hurried  into  eternity.     In  France  alone,  jibove  a  ^ 
million ^were  slain  for  their  adherence  to  the  truth.     In  Ger-/»y 
many  and  Flanders,  too,  they  were  persecuted  with  peculiar     1 
severity.     The  monks  were  urged  by  the  popes  to  treat  them 
worse   than   they   treated  the  Saracens.     In   the   castle  of 
Menerbe,  on  the  frontiers  of  Spain,  one  hundred  and  forty 
persons  of  both  sexes  were  burnt  alive.     Persecutions  often 
drove  the  Waldenses  to  the  top  of  the  Alps  in  the  dead  of 
winter,  where  they  perished.     One  hundred  and  eighty  in- 
fants were,  at  one  time,  found  dead  there  in  their  cradles. 
Four  1 1  ui  id  red  little  children  were  suffocated  in  a  cave  in  the 


.\ 


314  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

valley  of  Soyse,  where  they  had  been  placed  for  safety."  — lx 
Ibid.,  page  246. 

The  Dominican  and  Franciscan  orders  commenced  in  the 
year  1207.  Dominic,  "Saint  Dominic,"  the  Roman  Cath- 
olics call  him,  was  the  first  "  inquisitor-general."  In  one 
day,  by  his  order,  "fourscore  persons  were  beheaded,  and 
four  hundred  burnt  alive  in  his  sight." 

The  twelfth  general  council,  and  the  fourth  of  Lateran 
was  held  at  Rome,  in  1215,  Pope  Innocent  III.   presiding 
This  council  issued  a  decree  against  all   "  heretics."     The 
edict     begins :    "  WE    EXCOMMUNICATE    AND    ANATHEMATIZE 

EVERY  HERESY  EXTOLLING  ITSELF  AGAINST  THIS  HOLY,  ORTHO- 
DOX, CATHOLIC  FAITH  WHICH  WE  BEFORE  EXPOUNDED,  con- 
demning all  heretics,  by  what  names  soever  called.  And 
being  condemned,  let  them  be  left  to  the  secular  power,  or  to 
their  bailiffs,  to  be  punished  by  due  animadversion.  And 
let  the  secular  powers  be  warned  and  induced,  and  if  need 
be  condemned  by  ecclesiastical  censure,  what  offices  soever 
they  are  in,  that  as  they  desire  to  be  reputed  and  taken  for 
believers,  so  they  publicly  TAKE  AN  OATH  FOR  THE  DEFENCE 

OF  THE  FAITH,  THAT  THEY  WILL  STUDY  IN  GOOD  EARNEST  TO 
EXTERMINATE,  TO  THEIR  UTMOST  POWER,  FROM  THE  LANDS  SUB- 
JECT TO  THEIR  JURISDICTION,  ALL  HERETICS  DENOTED  BY  THE 

CHURCH,"  etc.  — History  of  Romanism,  page  32. 

"In   July,  1209,  the   crusading   army   arrived  under  the  ( 
walls  of  Beziers,  in  three  bodies."     The  last  living  creature 
was  massacred  ;  not  one  left  to  breathe.     The  city  was  then 
set  on  fire  and  consumed ;  not  a  house  being  left.     Sixty 
thousand  perished  as  "  heretics." 

It  is  said  that  "•  of  all  the  inventions  of  popish  cruelty,  theN 
holy  Inquisition  is  the  masterpiece."     Every  instrument  of 
torture  possible  to  conceive  of  was  used  as  a  means  of  pun- 
ishment and  destruction  of  all  those  denominated"  heretics." 
The  officers  of  the  Inquisition  were  called  "familiars."     At 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  315 

44  the  dead  of  night,"  perhaps,  "a  knock  is  heard  at  the 
d<>.>r."  Some  one  answers,  "  Who  is  there?"  "  The  holy 
Inquisition."  A  boy  or  girl,  or  father  or  mother,  or  child 
is  demanded,  and  hastened  away  todeath.  "  The  commonest 
mode  of  torture  to  force  the  victims  to  confess  or  to  accuse 
themselves  were,  dislocation,  by  means  of  pulley,  rope,  and 
weights;  roasting  the  soles  of  the  feet,  and  suffocation  by 
water,  with  the  torment  of  tightened  ropes.  These  tortures 
irert  inflicted  iii  a  sad  and  gloomy  apartment  called  the 
•  Hall  of  Toil nre,'  situated  far  under-ground,  in  order  that 
the  shrieks  of  anguish  generally  forced  from  the  miserable 
sufferers  might  not  interrupt  the  death-like  silence  that 
reigned  through  the  rest  of  the  building." 

4 'The  next  scene  in  this  melancholy  tragedy  is  the  auto\ 
dafe.  This  horrid  and  tremendous  spectacle  is  always  repre- 
sented on  the  Sabbath  day."  This  was  applied  to  the  great 
burning  of  heretics.  They  were  mtirched  from  their  gloomy 
cells  in  "  procession  to  the  place  of  burning."  "  If  the 
prisoner,  on  being  asked,  says  he  will  die  in  the  Catholic 
faith,  he  has  the  privilege  of  being  strangled  firsthand  then 
burnt  ;  but  if  in  the  Protestant  or  any  other  faith  different 
from  the  Catholic,  he  must  be  roasted  alive."  "  When  all  is 
ready,  fire  is  applied  to  the  immense  pile,  and  the  suffering 
martyrs,  who  have  been  securely  fastened  to  their  stakes, 
are  roasted  nlive  ;  the  living  flesh  of  the  lower  extremities 
being  often  burnt  and  crisped  by  the  action  of  the  flames, 
driven  hither  and  thither  by  the  wind,  before  the  vital  parts 
are  touched." 

4t  It  was  not  uncommon  for  the  popish  kings  and  queens 
of  Spain  to  witness  these  wholesale  burnings  of  heretics  from 
a  magnificent  stage  and  canopy  erected  for  the  purpose,  and 
W&B  represented  by  the  Jesuit  priests  as  an  act  highly  meri- 
!  01  ions  ill  the  king  to  supply  a  fagot  for  the  pile  upon  which 
the  heretics  were  to  be  consumed.  .  .  .  King  Charles  II.,  in 


316  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

an  auto  da  fe,  supplied  a  fagot,  the  sticks  of  which  were 
gilded,  adorned  by  flowers,  and  tied  up  with  ribbons,  and  was 
honored  by  being  the  first  fagot  placed  upon  the  pile  of 
burning."  In  1560  the  following  account  was  written  by  a 
Catholic  to  his  friend  from  the  town  of  Montalto  concern- 
ing one  of  these  horrible  slaughters  :  "  Most  illustrious  Sir,  — 
Having  written  you  from  time  to  time  what  has  been  done 
here  in  the  affair  of  heresy,  I  have  now  to  inform  you  of  the 
dreadful  justice  which  began  to  be  executed  on  these  Luther- 
ans early  this  morning,  being  the  llth  of  June.  And,  to 
tell  you  the  truth,  I  can  compare  it  to  nothing  but  the  slaugh- 
ter of  so  many  sheep.  They  were  all  shut  up  in  one  house 
as  in  a  sheepfold.  The  executioner  went,  and  bringing 
out  one  of  them,  covered  his  face  with  a  napkin,  or  benda, 
as  we  call  it,  led  him  to  a  field  near  the  house,  and,  causing 
him  to  kneel  down,  cut  his  throat  with  a  knife.  Then,  tak- 
ing off  the  bloody  napkin,  he  went  and  brought  out  another, 
whom  he  put  to  death  after  the  same  manner.  In  this  way 
the  whole  number,  amounting  to  eighty-eight  men,  wTere 
butchered.  I  leave  you  to  figure  to  yourself  the  lamentable 
spectacle,  for  I  can  scarcely  refrain  from  tears  while  I  write  ; 
nor  was  there  any  person  who,  after  witnessing  the  execu- 
tion of  one,  could  stand  to  look  on  a  second.  ...  I  still 
shudder  while  I  think  of  the  executioner  with  his  bloody  knife 
in  his  teeth,  the  dripping  napkin  in  his  hand,  and  his  arms 
besmeared  with  gore,  going  to  the  house  and  taking  out  one 
victim  after  another,  justas  the  butcher  does  the  sheep  which  j 
he  means  to  kill."  —  History  of  Romanism,  pages  567,  568^ 
569,  574,  576,  and  582. 

"  Of  all  the  institutions  ever  known  to  the  world,  or  ever 
invented  by  human  ingenuity,  it  [the  Inquisition]  was  the 
most  cruel,  oppressive,  and  blood-thirsty.  Its  thousands  of 
victims,  whose  bones  were  crushed  with  its  accursed  instru- 
ments of  torture,  and  whose  groans  made  its  priestly  officials 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  317 

laugh  with  joy  akin  to  that  of  the  fiends  of  hell,  still  cry  out 
of  their  tombs  against  it."  —  Romanism  and  the  Republic, 
page  107. 

"  And  this  Inquisition,  somewhat  modified,  was  made  use 
of  in  tlu'  city  of  Rome  until  1870.  Here  religious  toleration 
was  unknown.  No  Protestants  whatever  were  allowed  to 
hold  any  service  within  the  walls  of  Rome,  so  long  as  the 
pope  had  power.  Punishment,  imprisonment,  and  death 
were  inllictcd  by  the  pope,  and  under  his  express  sanction 
and  authority." — Ibid.^  page  110. 

INDULGENCES. 

u  According  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Romish  Church,  all  the 
good  works  of  the  saints,  over  and  above  those  necessary 
toward  their  own  justification,  are  deposited,  together  with 
the  in  finite  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  one  inexhaustible  treas- 
ury. The  keys  of  this  were  committed  to  St.  Peter,  and  to 
his  successors,  the  popes,  who  may  open  it  at  pleasure  ;  and 
by  transferring  a  portion  of  this  superabundant  merit  to  any 
particular  person  for  a  sum  of  money,  may  convey  to  him 
cither  the  pardon  of  his  own  sins,  or  a  release  for  any  one 
in  whom  he  is  interested  from  the  pains  of  purgatory.  Such 
indulgences  were  first  invented  in  the  eleventh  century,  by 
Urban  II.,  as  a  recompense  for  those  who  went  in  person  upon 
the  glorious  enterprise  of  conquering  the  Holy  Land.  They 
were  afterwards  granted  to  those  who  hired  a  soldier  for  that 
purpose;  and  in  process  of  time  were  bestowed  on  such  as 
Li.ive  money  for  accomplishing  any  pious  work  enjoined  by 
the  pope.  .  .  .  Pope  Leo  X.,  in  order  to  carry  on  the  mag- 
nificent structure  of  St,  Peter's,  at  Rome,  published  indul- 
gences, and  a  plenary  remission  to  all  such  as  should 
contribute  money  toward  it.  Finding  the  project  take,  he 
granted  to  Albert,  elector  of  Mentz  and  archbishop  of  Mag- 


318          PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

deburg,  the  benefit  of  the  indulgences  of  Saxony  and  the 
neighboring  parts,  and  farmed  out  those  of  other  countries 
to  the  highest  bidders ;  who,  to  make  the  best  of  their  bar- 
gain, procured  the  ablest  preachers  to  cry  up  the  value  of 
the  ware.  The  form  of  these  indulgences  was  as  follows  : 
c  May  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  upon  thee,  and 
absolve  thee  by  the  merits  of  his  most  holy  passion.  And 
I,  by  his  authority,  that  of  his  blessed  apostles,  Peter  and 
Paul,  and  of  the  most  holy  pope,  granted  and  committed  to 
me  in  these  parts,  do  absolve  thee :  first,  from  all  ecclesias- 
tical censures,  in  whatever  manner  they  have  been  incurred  ; 
then  from  all  thy  sins,  transgressions,  and  excesses,  how 
enormous  soever  they  maybe,  even  from  such  as  are  reserved 
for  the  cognizance  of  the  holy  see  ;  and  so  far  as  the  keys  of 
the  holy  church  extend,  I  remit  to  you  all  punishment  which 
you  deserve  in  purgatory  on  their  account ;  and  I  restore 
you  to  the  holy  sacraments  of  the  church,  to  the  unity  of  the 
faithful,  and  to  that  innocence  and  purity  which  you  possessed 
at  baptism  ;  so  that  when  you  die,  the  gates  of  punishment 
shall  be  shut,  and  the  gates  of  the  paradise  of  delight  shall 
be  opened ;  and  if  you  shall  not  die  at  present,  this  grace 
shall  remain  in  full  force  when  you  are  at  the  point  of  death. 
In  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.' 
According  to  a  book  called  the  '  Tax  of  the  Sacred  Roman 
Chancery,'  in  which  are  contained  the  exact  sums  to  be  levied 
for  the  pardon  of  each  particular  sin,  we  find  some  of  the 
facts  to  be  thus  :  — 

a.        d. 

'•  For  procuring  abortion    .....  76 

simony     .......  10     6 

sacrilege  .......  10     6 

taking  a  false  oath  in  a  criminal  case          .  9     6 

robbing 12     0 

burning  a  neighbor's  house        .          .          .  120 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  319 

s.       d. 

For  defiling  a  virgin  .                  .         .         .         .  90 

lying  with  a  mother,  sister,  etc.  ...  76 

murdering  a  layman    .....  7     G 

keeping  a  concubine 106 

laying  violent  hands  on  a  clergyman     .         .  106 

And  so  on."  —  BUCK'S  Theological  Dictionary,  page  191. 

John  Tctzel  was  one  of  the  most  zealous  and  successful 
pedlers  of  these  indulgences.  It  was  said  of  him,  "It 
would  have  been  hard  to  find  in  all  the  cloisters  of  Germany 
:i  HIM n  more  adapted  to  the  traffic  with  which  he  was  charged." 
u  In  1  ">07,  he  gained  in  two  days  at  Freyburg  two  thousand 
llorins."  In  addressing  audiences,  in  order  to  move  them  to 
purchase  his  pardons,  he  delivered  the  following  :  — 

44  Indulgences,"  said  he,  "  are  the  most  precious  and  sub- 
lime of  (iod's  gifts.  This  cross  [pointing  to  the  red  cross] 
has  as  much  ellicacy  as  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ.  Draw 
near  ami  I  will  give  you  letters  duly  sealed,  by  which  even 
the  sin>  von  shall  hereafter  desire  to  commit  shall  be  all  for- 
given you.  I  would  not  exchange  my  privileges  for  those  of 
St.  Peter  in  heaven,  for  I  have  saved  more  souls  with  my 
indulgences  than  he  with  his  sermons.  There  is  no  sin  so 
great  that  the  indulgence  cannot  remit  it,  and  even  if  any 
one  should  (which  is  doubtless  impossible)  ravish  the  Holy 
V  irgin  Mother  of  God,  let  him  pay  —  let  him  only  pay  largely, 
and  it  shall  be  forgiven  him.  Even  repentance  is  not  indis- 
pensable. But  more  than  all  this  :  indulgences  save  not  the 
living  alone,  they  also  save  the  dead.  Ye  priests,  ye  nobles, 
ye  tradesmen,  ye  wives,  ye  maidens,  and  ye  young  men, 
hearken  to  your  departed  parents  and  friends,  who  cry  to 
you  from  the  bottomless  abyss,  '  We  are  enduring  horrible 
torment !  a  small  alms  would  deliver  us  ;  you  can  give  it,  and 
YOU  will  not.'  .  .  .  The  very  moment  that  the  money  chinks 
against  the  bottom  of  the  chest,  the  soul  escapes  from  pur- 


320  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

gatory  and  flies  free  to  heaved." —  History  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, by  D'AuBiGNE,  page  68. 

It  was  TetzeFs  boldness  and  effrontery  at  selling  indul- 
gences that  aroused  the  latent  spirit  and  indignation  of  the 
famous  Martin  Luther  at  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, and  moved  his  great  soul  in  opposition  to  this  traffic. 

Luther  was  born  in  1483,  was  ordained  a  priest  in  1507. 
In  1517,  John  Tetzel  appeared  in  his  neighborhood,  selling 
indulgences.  "  To  this  office  that  bold  Dominican  inquis- 
itor had  been  delegated  by  Albert,  archbishop  of  Mentz,  to 
whom  the  indulgences  had  been  sent  by  Leo  X. 

"  Had  Tetzel  been  of  a  mild  and  timid  spirit,  the  Reforma- 
tion might  have  been  delayed  another  century  ;  but  he  was  a 
man  of  uncommon  boldness  and  impudence,  just  calculated 
to  rouse  the  fndignation  of  Luther.  He  was  indeed  a  vet- 
eran in  the  traffic.  Ten  years  before  he  had  collected  two 
thousand  florins  in  the  space  of  two  days ;  and  he  boasted 
that  by  his  indulgences  he  had  saved  more  souls  from  hell 
than  ever  St.  Peter  converted  by  preaching.  Said  he,  '  The 
moment  the  money  tinkles  in  the  chest,  your  father's  soul 
mounts  out  of  purgatory.'  " —  MARSH'S  Ecclesiastical  History^ 
page  260. 

The  ground  of  proscription  made  by  Roman  Catholics 
against  Swinton's  "History"  being  used  in  Boston  schools 
reads  as  follows  :  — 

"  When  Leo  X.  came  to  the  papal  chair,  he  found  the 
treasury  of  the  church  exhausted  by  the  ambitious  projects 
of  his  predecessors.  He  therefore  had  recourse  to  every 
means  which  ingenuity  could  devise  for  recruiting  his  ex- 
hausted finances,  and  among  these  he  adopted  an  extensive 
sale  of  indulgences,  which  in  former  ages  had  been  a  source 
of  large  profits  to  the  church."  (Here  is  a  star,  referring 
to  a  foot-note.) 

"  The  Dominican  friars,  having  obtained  a  monopoly  of 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  321 

the  sale  in  Germany,  employed,  as  their  agent,  Tetzel,  one 
of  their  own  order,  who  carried  on  the  traffic  in  a  manner 
that  was  very  offensive,  and  especially  to  the  Augustinian 
friars." 

The  following  is  the  foot-note  :  — 

44  These  indulgences  were,  in  the  early  ages  of  the  church, 
remissions  of  the  penances  imposed  upon  persons  whose  sins 
had  brought  scandal  upon  the  community.  But  in  process 
of  time  they  wnv  represented  as  actual  pardons  of  guilt, 
and  the  purchaser  of  indulgences  was  said  to  be  delivered 
from  all  his  sins." 

Commenting  on  this,  Edwin  D.-Mead,  of  Boston,  a  most 
conservative  and  fair-minded  man,  says :  "  If  any  fact  in 
history  stands  avouched,  it  is  that  the  most  mechanical  and 
venal  interpretation  of  the  doctrine  of  indulgence  had  be- 
come prevalent  in  the  church  in  1517,  and  that  this  was  the 
immediate  occasion  of  the  Lutheran  Reformation.  The 
Roman  Catholic  Church  for  two  centuries  before  that  time 
had  a  bad  record.  It  is  a  desire  that  that  bad  record  shall 
l»e  covered  up,  that  it  shall  be  kept  as  much  as  possible  out 
of  sight  and  out  of  remembrance, — this,  and  not  any  honest 
fear  that  teachers  in  our  Boston  schools  will  be  telling  their 
boys  that  Archbishop  Williams  or  Leo  XIII.  issues  licenses 
to  commit  sin,  —  which  is  the  motive  of  the  present  Catholic 
opposition  to  Mr.  Swinton's  History." —  The  Roman  Cath- 
olic Chunk  and  the  School  Question,  page  26. 

Again  :  — 

44  In  1522,  when  Germany  was  all  ablaze  with  Lutherism, 
tit  the  diet  of  Nuremberg,  summoned  to  deal  with  Luther, 
this  honest  Dutch  Pope  Adrian  declared  roundly,  through 
his  legate,  that 4  these  disorders  had  sprung  up  from  the  sins 
of  men,  more  specifically  from  the  sins  of  priests  and  prel- 
ates. Even  in  the  holy  chain,'  said  he,  4  many  horrible  crimes 
have  been  committed.  The  contagious  disease,  spreading 


322  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

from  the  head  to  the  members,  from  the  pope  to  the  lesser 
prelates,  has  spread  far  and  wide,  so  that  scarcely  any  one 
is  to  be  found  who  does  right  and  is  free  from  infection.' 

"  Pope  Leo  X.  explained  the  doctrine  of  indulgences  thus  : 
'  The  Roman  Church,  whom  other  churches  are  bound  to 
follow  as  their  mother,  hath  taught  that  the  Roman  pontiff, — 
the  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ  upon  earth,  possessing  the  power 
of  the  keys,  by  which  power  all  hindrances  are  removed  out 
of  the  way  of  the  faithful,  that  is  to  say,  the  guilt  of  actual 
sin,  by  the  sacrament  of  penance,  and  the  temporal  punish- 
ment due  for  those  sins,  according  to  divine  justice  by  ecc'e- 
siastical  indulgence,  —  that  the  Roman  pontiff  may,  for 
reasonable  causes,  by  his  apostolic  authority,  grant  indul- 
gences out  of  the  superabundant  merits  of  Christ  and  the 
saints  to  the  faithful  who  are  united  to  Christ  by  charity,  as 
well  for  the  living  as  for  the  dead  ;  and  that  in  thus  dispens- 
ing the  treasure  of  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  saints, 
he  either  confers  indulgences  by  absolution,  or  transfers  it 
by  the  method  of  suffrage  [that  is,  favor]  ;  wherefore,  all 
persons,  whether  living  or  dead,  who  really  obtain  any  in- 
dulgence of  this  kind,  are  delivered  from  so  much  temporal 
punishment  due,  according  to  <  divine  justice,  for  their  actual 
sins,  as  equivalent  to  the  value  of  indulgences  bestowed  and 
received.'" —  Romanism  and  the  Republic,  page  196. 

As  stated  by  Mr.  Mead,  there  is  evidently  a  disposition 
upon  the  part  of  the  Roman  Catholics  to  keep  in  the  back- 
ground or  out  of  sight  the  obnoxious  features  of  their  faith 
as  it  is  known  in  their  history,  and  parade  something  else. 
But  the  men  who  confronted  Romanism  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Reformation  evidently  knew  what  they  were  contending 
against.  Said  Wy cliff e  :  ' '  There  is  no  greater  heresy  for  a 
man  than  to  believe  that  he  is  absolved  from  sin  if  he  give 
money,  or  because  a  priest  layeth  his  hand  upon  his  head 
and  saith,  '  I  absolve  thee ' ;  for  thou  must  be  sorrowful  in 


PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD.         323 

thy  heart,  else  God  does  not  absolve  thee.  .  .  .  They  chatter 
on  tin*  subject  of  grace  as  if  it  were  a  thing  to  be  bought 
ami  sold  like  an  ass  or  an  ox;  by  so  doing  they  learn  to 
make  a  merehandise  of  selling  pardons,  the  devil  having 
availed  himself  of  an  error  in  the  schools  to  introduce  after 
this  manner  heresies  in  morals."  These  words  of  Wycliffe 
would  have  no  meaning  if  this  "  selling  of  pardons  "  were  not 
rife  all  about  him. 

••  ^aid  Luther :  •  They  say  that  indulgences,  applied  to  the 
soul  that  sut!rr>  in  purgatory,  are  imparted  to  it,  and  accounted 
tor  iu  the  ivmis>ion  of  the  sins  for  which  itshould  still  suffer.' 
k  If  you  have  anything  to  spare,'  he  says  again,  4  give  it, 
in  the  Lord's  name,  for  the  building  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome, 
but  do  not  purchase  pardons.9  '  I  complain  bitterly,'  he 
\vn»te  to  tin-  archbishop,  'of  the  fatal  errors  in  which  these 
men  are  involving  the  common  people,  men  of  weak  uncler- 
>tandinir,  whom,  foolish  as  they  are,  these  men  persuade  that 
they  will  be  sure  of  salvation  if  they  only  buy  their  letters 
of  plenary  indulgence.  They  believe  that  souls  will  fly  out 
of  purgatory  the  moment  that  the  money  paid  for  their 
redemption  is  thrown  into  the  preacher's  bag,  and  that  such 
virtue  belongs  to  these  indulgences  that  there  is  no  sin  which 
the  induli:enee>  will  not  absolutely  and  at  once  efface.'"  — 
The  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  the  School  Question,  by 
Ki>wiN  D.  MEAD,  pages  16,  18,  21. 

In  I  1ST,  Pope  Innocent  issued  a  bull  against  the  Wal- 
den>es  ami  other  heretics,  and  authorized  Albert  de  Capi- 
taneis,  arehdeacon  of  the  church  of  Cremona,  to  act  in 
eoiieert  with  Inquisitor-General  Blasius,  "  to  crush  them  ti~ke 
venomous  asps,  and  to  contribute  all  their  care  to  so  holy  and 
>o  necessary  an  extermination.  .  .  .  We  give  you  power  to 
have  the  crusade  preached  up  by  fit  men;  to  grant  that 
sii.h  p.-rsons  as  shall  enter  on  the  crusade  and  fight  against 
me  heretics,  and  shall  contribute  to  it,  may  gain 


324  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

plenary  indulgence  and  remission  of  all  their  sins  once  in  life, 
and  also  at  their  death;  to  command,  in  virtue  of  their  holy 
obedience,  and  under  penalty  of  excommunication,  all 
preachers  of  God's  word  to  animate  and  incite  the  same 
believers  to  exterminate  the  pestilence,  without  sparing,  by 
force  of  arms.  We  further  give  you  power  to  absolve  those 
who  enter  on  the  crusade,  fight,  or  contribute  to  it,  from  all 
sentences,  censures,  and  ecclesiastical  penalties,  general  or 
particular,  by  which  they  may  be  bound  ...  to  concede  to 
each,  permission  to  lawfully  seize  on  the  property,  real  or 
personal,  of  heretics,  etc." — History  of  Romanism,  page  425. 

Further :  — 

u  In  the  downward  progress  of  pontifical  impurity,  we 
have  at  length  reached  the  lowest  step,  the  utmost  limits 
which  have  been  assigned  to  papal  and  to  human  depravity 
'The  ecclesiastical  records  of  fifteen  centuries,'  says  Wad- 
dington,  '  through  which  our  long  journey  is  now  nearly 
ended,  contain  no  name  so  loathsome,  no  crimes  so  foul  as 
his.  [Roderic  Borgia,  Pope  Alexander  VI.]  ...  In  early 
life,  during  the  pontificate  of  Pius  II.,  Roderic  Borgia,  already 
a  cardinal,  had  been  stigmatized  by  a  public  censure  for  his 
unmuffled  debaucheries.  Afterwards  he  publicly  cohabited 
with  a  Roman  matron  named  Vanozia,  by  whom  he  had  five 
acknowledged  children.  Neither  in  his  manners  nor  his 
language  did  he  affect  any  regard  for  morality  or  decency  ; 
and  one  of  the  earliest  acts  of  his  pontificate  was  to  cele- 
brate, with  scandalous  magnificence,  in  his  own  palace,  the 
marriage  of  his  daughter  Lucretia.  On  one  occasion,  this 
prodigy  of  vice  gave  a  splendid  entertainment,  within  the 
walls  of  the  Vatican,  to  no  less  than  fifty  prostitutes  at  once, 
and  in  the  presence  of  his  daughter  Lucretia,  at  which 
entertainment  deeds  of  darkness  were  done  over  which 
decency  must  throw  a  veil ;  and  yet  this  monster  of  vice 
was,  according  to  papists,  the  legitimate  successor  of  the 


PRESIDENCY   AND    PKIESTHOOD.  325 

apostles,  and  the  vicar  of  God  upon  earth,  and  was  addressed 
by  the  title  of  HIS  HOLINESS  !  Again  I  ask,  is  not  that 
apostate  church,  of  which  for  eleven  years  this  Pope  Alex- 
ander VI.  was  the  crowned  and  anointed  head,  and  a  neces- 
sary  link  in  the  chain  of  pretended  npostolie  succession, — 
is  she  not  fitly  described  by  the  pen  of  inspiration, 
MOTHER  OF  HARLOTS,  AND  ABOMINATIONS  OF 
THE  EARTH'?"—  Ibid.,  page  427. 


THE    FAMOUS    JUBILEE. 

« 

44  About  the  conclusion  of  this  [the  thirteenth]  century, 
Boniface  the  VIII.  added  to  the  public  rites  and  ceremonies 
of  the  church  the  famous  jubilee,  which  is  still  celebrated  at 
Rome  at  a  stated  period,  with  the  utmost  profusion  and 
pomp  and  magnificence."  This  service  consisted  in  making 
a  pilgrimage  to  Rome  and  visiting  the  churches  of  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Paul.  The  pope  u  enacted  it  as  a  solemn  law  of 
the  chun-h,  that  those  who  every  hundredth  or  jubilee  year- 
confessed  their  sins,  and  visited,  with  sentiments  of  contri- 
tion and  repentance,  the  churches  of  St.  Peter  and  St. 
Paul  at  Rome,  should  obtain  thereby  the  entire  remission  of 
their  various  offences.  Finding  that  this  increased  the 
revenues  of  the  Roman  Church,  they  rendered  its  return 
more  frequent,  and  fixed  its  celebration  to  every  five  and 
twentieth  year."  — MOSHEIM,  Vol.  II.,  Chap.  IV.,  Part  II., 
page  2G4. 

44  About  1 2GO  arose  the  Flagellants,  or  worshippers,  a  fanat 
ical  multitude  of  both  sexes  and  all  ranks  and  ages,  who, 
encouraged  by  the  mendicant  orders,  ran  through  the  cities 
and  villages,  with  whips  in  their  hands,  lashing  their  naked 
bodies,  to  appease  the  Deity,  and,  strange  as  it  may  appear 
to  us,  were  greatly  revered."  —  MARSH,  page  218. 

Says  Gladstone:  u  Rome  does  not  keep  good  faith  with 


32 0  ruESiDENcr  AND  PBIESTHOOD. 

history  as  it  is  handed  down  in  her  own  annals."     (Vatican- 
ism, page  129.)  —  Romanism  and  the  IteiJubUc,  page  204. 

"  If  the  liberties  of  the  American  people  are  ever  destroyed, 
it  will  be  by  the  hands  of  the  Roman  clergy."-  -The  MAR- 
QUIS DE  LA  FAYETTE,  Ibid.,  page  36. 


THE   ROSARY. 

' '  The  rosary  of  the  Virgin  was  probably  invented  in  the 
tenth  century.  This  is  a  string  of  beads,  consisting  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  which  makes  so  many  Aves,  or  hail  Marys, 
every  ten  beads  being  .divided  by  one  something  larger, 
which  signifies  a  pater,  or  Lord's  Prayer.  Before  repeating 
the  rosary,  it  is  necessary  for  the  person  to  take  it  and  cross 
himself,  and  then  to  repeat  the  creed,  after  which  he  repeats 
a  prayer  to  the  Virgin  for  every  small  bead,  and  a  prayer  to 
God  for  every  large  one."  —  History  of  Itomanism,  page 
189. 

"  In  855,  it  is  said,  a  woman,  disguised  as  a  man,  had  the 
art  to  gain  an  election  to  the  papal  chair,  and  governed  the 
church  for  two  years.  She  is  known  by  the  title  of  Pope 
Joan.  .  .  .  John  XII.  first  introduced  the  practice  in  956, 
followed  by  all  his  successors,  of  changing  their  name  when 
chosen  to  the  papacy."  —  MARSH,  pages  241,  242. 

THE  ARROGANT  CLAIMS  OF  THE  PAPAL  CHURCH,  HER  INTOL- 
ERANT AND  HAUGHTY  SPIRIT  AND  PRETENSIONS,  AND  TER- 
RIBLE VICIOUSNESS  TOWARDS  ALL  WHO  WILL  NOT 
RECOGNIZE  *  HER  AUTHORITY  ;  HER  CRAFT  AND  DECEP- 
TIONS. 

"  The  many-tongued  Catholic  masses,  imbued  with  Roman- 
ist doctrines,  and  invested  by  that  polity  as  by  the  shirt  of 
Nessus,  with  the  pope  at  their  head,  constitute  living  Rom- 
anism, aggressive,  imperious,  and  relentless  as  ever. 


r.< 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  327 

"  This  vast  power,  besides  assuming  and  exercising  the 
most  blasphemous  religious  prerogatives  for  more  than  a  thou- 
sand years,  has  dispensed  crowns  and  dethroned  kings,  ab- 
solved peoples  from  allegiance  to  their  rightful  sovereigns, 
or  sanctioned  their  bondage  under  tyrants,  according  to  its 
own  pleasure  and  caprice ;  nor  has  it  ever  formally  or  im- 
pliedly  abandoned  any  of  its  enormous  pretensions.  There 
is  not  a  people  in  the  Old  World  whose  peace  it  has  not  dis- 
turbed, whose  rulers  it  has  not  embroiled,  the  administration 
of.  whose  government  it  has  not  embarrassed,  whose  rights  it 
has  not  usurped,  and  whose  soil  it  has  not  drenched  in  blood." 
1  LI:I;OV  M.  VMUNON.) —  Romanism  and  the  Republic,  page  3. 

44  The  Canon  Law,  the  undisputed  fundamental  code  of 
Romanism,  reads  as  follows  :  — 

44  4 1.  All  human  power  is  from  evil,  and  must  therefore 
be  standing  under  the  pope. 

k4  4  II.  The  temporal  powers  must  act  unconditionally,  in 
accordance  with  the  spiritual. 

444  III.  The  church  is  empowered  to  grant,  or  take  away, 
any  temporal  possession. 

4k  4 IV.     The  pope  has  the  right  to  give  countries  and  na- 
tions  which  are  non-Catholic  to  Catholic  regents,  who  caqA 
reduce  them  to  slavery. 

44  4  V.  The  pope  can  make  slaves  of  those  Christian  sub- 
jects whose  prince  or  ruling  power  is  interdicted  by  the  pope. 

44  4  VI.  The  laws  of  the  church,  concerning  the  liberty  of 
the  church  and  the  papal  power,  are  based  upon  divine 
inspiration. 

44  4  VII.  The  church  has  the  right  to  practise  the  uncondi- 
tional censure  of  books. 

441  VIII.     The   pope  has   the   right  to  annul  state  laws, 
.ties,    constitutions,    etc.;     to    absolve    from    obedience 
thereto,  as  soon  as  they  seem  detrimental  to  the  rights  of 
lunch,  or  those  of  the  clergy. 


328  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

;" 4  IX.  The  pope  possesses  the  right  of  admonishing,  and, 
if  needs  be,  of  punishing  the  temporal  rulers,  emperors,  and 
kings,  as  well  as  drawing  before  the  spiritual  forum  any  case 
in  which  a  mortal  sin  occurs. 

44  *  X.  Without  the  consent  of  the  pope,  no  tax  or  rate  of 
any  kind  can  be  levied  upon  a  clergyman,  or  upon  any  church 
whatsoever. 

44  '.XI.  The  pope  has  the  right  to  absolve  from  oaths  and 
obedience  to  the  persons  and  the  laws  of  the  princes  whom 
he  excommunicates. 

44  '  XII.  The  pope  can  annul  all  legal  relations  of  those  in 
ban,  especially  their  marriages. 

44 'XIII.  The  pope  can  release  from  every  obligation, 
oath,  vow,  either  before  or  after  being  made. 

44  l  XIY.  The  execution  of  papal  commands  for  the  perse- 
cution of  heretics  causes  the  remission  of  sins. 

4i  4  XV.  He  who  kills  one  that  is  excommunicated  is  no 
murderer  in  a  legal  sense.'  "  (DR.  G.  F.  VON  SCHULTE,  Pro- 
fessor of  Canonical  Law  at  Prague).  — Ibid.,  page  6. 

4 'The  following  paragraphs  from  the  Syllabus  of  Pius  IX.,   r 
issued  Dec.  8,  1864,  and  subsequently  by  the  decree  of  infal-  » 
libility  confirmed  as  truths  eternal,  and  equal  in  authority  to  ^ 
the  Decalogue,  are  samples  of  Roman  Catholic  toleration, 
viz.  :    4  The  state  has  not  the  right  to  leave  every  man  free 
to  profess   and  embrace   whatever  religion  he   shall   deem 
true. 

4  4  4  It  has  not  the  right  to  enact  that  the  ecclesiastical  power 
shall  require  the  permission  of  the  civil  power  in  order  to 
the  exercise  of  its  authority. 

44  4  It  has  not  the  right  to  treat  as  an  excess  of  power,  or  as 
usurping  the  rights  of  princes,  anything  that  the  Roman 
pontiffs  or  ecumenical  councils  have  done. 

44  4  It  has  not  the  right  to  adopt  the  conclusions  of  a  national 
church  council,  unless  confirmed  by  the  \  ope. 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  329 

" 4  It  has  not  the  right  of  establishing  a  national  church 
separate  from  the  pope. 

44  4  It  has  not  the  right  to  the  entire  direction  of  public 
schools. 

"  4  It  has  not  the  right  to  assist  subjects  who  wish  to  aban- 
don monasteries  or  convents/ 

41  Then  in  the  same  Syllabus  the  rights  and  powers  of  the 
clmivh  are  affirmed  thus,  viz.  :  — 

44  4  She  has  the  right  to  require  the  state  not  to  leave  every 
man  free  to  profess  his  own  religion. 

44  4  She  has  the  right  to  exercise  her  power,  without  the  per- 
mission or  consent  of  the  state. 

44  4  She  has  the  right  to  prevent  the  foundation  of  any  na- 
tional church,  not  subject  to  the  authority  of  the  Roman 
pontiff. 

44  4  She  has  the  right  to  deprive  the  civil  authority  of  the 
entire  government  of  public  schools. 

44  4  She  has  the  right  of  perpetuating  the  union  of  church 
and  state. 

44  4  She  has  the  right  to  require  that  the  Catholic  shall  be 
the  only  religion  of  the  state,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others. 

44  c  She  has  the  right  to  prevent  the  state  from  granting  the 
public  exercise  of  their  own  worship  to  persons  immigrating 
into  it. 

44  4  She  has  the  power  of  requiring  the  state  not  to  permit 
free  expression  of  opinion.'  "  —  Ibid.,  pages  6,7. 

44  The  pope  demands  for  himself  the  right  to  determine 
the  province  of  his  own  rights,  and  has  so  defined  it  in  formal 
<1  -K uments  as  to  warrant  any  and  every  invasion  of  the  civil 
>plicre.  .  .  .  Rome  requires  a  convert  who  joins  her  to 
forfeit  his  moral  and  mental  freedom,  and  place  his  loyalty 
and  civil  duty  at  the  mercy  of  another."  —  GLADSTONE,  Our 
Country,  page  51. 

44  This  pop«,  this  foreigner,  this  Italian,  is  more  powerful 


330  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

in  this  country  than  any  other  person,  not  excepting  even  the 
king.  And  now  please  to  consider  what  this  foreigner  has 
announced  as  the  programme  by  which  he  rules  in  Prussia  as 
elsewhere.  He  begins  by  arrogating  to  himself  the  right  to 
define  how  far  his  authority  extends  ;  and  this  pope,  who 
would  use  fire  and  sword  against  us  if  he  had  the  power  to 
do  so,  who  would  confiscate  our  property  and  not  spare  our 
lives,  expects  us  to  allow  him  full,  uncontrolled  sway  in  our 
midst."  —  PRINCE  BISMARCK,  Ibid.,  pages  51,  52. 

"  The  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  centuvy  saw  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  predominant  over  all  religious,  civil,  and 
social  life  throughout  Europe.  The  holy  Roman  Empire, 
with  its  Emperor,  was  in  subjection  to  the  pope  of  Rome." 
—  Romanism  and  the  Republic,  page  41. 

"  All,  both  pastors  and  faithful,  are  bound  to  submit,  not 
only  in  matters  belonging  to  faith  and  morals,  but  also  in 
those  pertaining  to  the  discipline  and  government  of  the 
church  throughout  the  world.  This  is  the  teaching  of  the 
Catholic  faith,  from  which  none  can  deviate,  without  detri- 
ment to  faith  and  salvation.  We  further  teach  and  declare 
that  the  pope  is  the  supreme  judge  of  the  faithful,  and  that 
in  all  cases  pertaining  to  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction,  recourse 
may  be  had  to  his  judgment ;  and  that  none  may  rebate  the 
judgment  of  the  apostolic  see,  than  whose  there  is  no  greater 
authority,  and  that  it  is  not  lawful  for  any  one  to  sit  in  judg- 
ment on  its  judgment." — Ibid.,  page  G6.  Vatican  Decrees, 
page  52. 

Says  the  CatlioHc  World,  for  August,  1871  :  "  We  have 
no  right  to  ask  reasons  of  the  church  [the  pope] ,  any  more 
than  of  Almighty  God,  as  a  preliminary  to  our  submission. 
We  are  to  take  with  unquestionable  docility  whatever  instruc- 
tions the  church  [pope]  gives  us."  —  Ibid.,  page  67. 

"  No  temporal  prince,  whether  emperor,  or  king,  or  presi- 
dent, or  any  legislative  body,  can  have  any  lawful  jurisdic- 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  331 

tion  over  the  pope.  What  right  has  the  pope  to  be  indepen- 
dent of  every  civil  ruler?  He  has  it  in  virtue  of  his  dignity  as 
the  vicar  of  Christ.  Christ  himself  is  King  of  kings,  but  the 
pope  governs  the  church  in  the  name  of  Christ,  and  as  his 
representative.  His  divine  otlice,  therefore,  makes  him 
superior  to  every  political,  temporal,  and  human  govern- 
n ie nt."  (Tract  No.  4G  of  the  Catholic  Publication  Society.) 
-  //>///.,  pane  G8. 

"  Pius  IX.,  who  in  1880  declared  absolutely  null  and  void 
all  the  acts  of  the  government,  of  IVidmont,  which  he  held 
prejudicial  to  the  rights  of  religion,  in  the  same  year, 
because  Spain  had  pa»cd  a  la\v  wliich  permitted  the  tolera- 
tion of  n«;i-Ro!iian  worship,  and  the  secularization  of  eccle- 
siastical property,  he  declared,  by  his  own  apostolic  authority, 
those  laws  to  be  abrogated,  totally  null,  and  of  no  effect." 
( < .  i  \  i>- 1  <>M  ,  Vaticanism,  page  1 70.) —  I  bid.,  page  70. 

"  Here,  then,  is  the  indictment  which  we  frame  against  this 
most  arrogant  and  tyrannical  of  rulers.  A  pontiff  claiming 
infallibility,  who  has  condemned  free  speech,  free  writing, 
a  free  press,  toleration  of  non-conformity,  liberty  of  con- 
science, the  study  of  civil  and  philosophical  matters  in  inde- 
pendence of  ecclesiaMical  authority,  marriage,  unless  con- 
tracted in  tin1  Romish  Church,  the  definition  by  the  state  of 
the  civil  rights  of  the  church,  — who  has  demanded  therefore 
the  title  to  define  its  own  civil  rights,  together  with  a  divine 
right  to  civil  immunities  and  a  right  to  use  physical  force, 
and  who  has  also  proudly  asserted  that  the  popes  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  with  their  councils,  did  not  invade  the  rights  of  princes, 
etc."  (GLADSTONE,  Vaticanism,  page  5G.)  —  Ibid.,  page  71. 

"  Nationalities  must  be  subordinate  to  religion,  and  we 
must  learn  that  we  are  Catholics  first  and  citizens  next.  God 
»>ve  man,  and  the  church  is  above  the  state."  (BISHOP 
(.ii.MoiiK,  in  his  Lenten  letter  of  March,  1873.)  —  Our  Coun- 
try by  REV.  J.  STRONG,  D.D.,  page  .V2. 


332  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

"  In  a  sermon  preached  when  he  was  archbishop,  Cardinal 
Manning  put  the  following  sentences  in  the  mouth  of  the 
pope  :  c  I  acknowledge  no  civil  power ;  I  am  the  subject  of 
no  prince ;  and  I  claim  more  than  this  :  I  claim  to  be  the 
supreme  judge  and  director  of  the  conscience  of  men ;  of  the 
peasant  that  tills  the  fields,  and  of  the  prince  that  sits  upon 
the  throne  ;  of  the  household  that  lives  in  the  shade  of  privacy, 
and  the  legislator  that  makes  laws  for  the  kingdoms  ;  I  am 
the  sole,  last,  supreme  judge  of  what  is  right  and  wrong. 
.  .  .  Moreover,  I  declare,  affirm,  define,  and  pronounce  it  to 
be  necessary  to  salvation  for  every  human  creature  to  be 
subject  to  the  Roman  pontiff/ 

"Cardinal  Bellarmie  says:  'If  the  pope  should  err  by 
enjoining  vices  or  forbidding  virtues,  the  church  would  be 
obliged  to  believe  vices  to  be  good  and  virtues  bad,  unless  it 
would  sin  against  conscience.' "  —  Ibid.,  page  53. 

WHAT    THEY    ARE    AIMING    AT. 

"  Father  Hecker  says  that  '  ere  long  there  is  to  be  a  state 
religion  in  this  country  [United  States] ,  and  that  state  reli- 
gion is  to  be  Roman  Catholic.  The  man  to-day  is  living  who 
will  see  a  majority  of  the  people  of  the  American  Continent 
Roman  Catholics.  (Boston  Pilot.)9"  —  Ibid.,  page  55. 

The  writer,  having  marshalled  an  array  of  evidence  and 
citations  reflecting  upon  the  Roman  Catholic  hierarchy,  show- 
ing its  spirit,  assumptions,  and  purpose,  closes  with  the  fol- 
lowing indictment  against  that  church:  "I  indict  the  pope 
of  Rome  as  the  representative  of  the  papal  policy,  the  rep- 
resentative whom  they  put  forward  to  stand  for  the  whole 
church  in  its  antagonisms  to  religious  and  civil  freedom, . 
against  which  he  has  committed  high  crimes  and  misde- 
meanors. 

"  I  impeach  him  in  the  name  of  liberty  of  conscience,  whose 
rights  he  has  denied  ;  I  impeach  him  in  the  name  of  freedom 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  333 

of  worship,  whose  temples  he  would  close ;  I  impeach  him 
in  the  name  of  a  free  press  and  free  speech,  whose  voice  he 
would  smother  in  the  smoke  of  fire  and  fagot ;  I  impeach 
him  in  the  name  of  civil  liberty,  over  whose  just  laws  he  has 
proclaimed  the  sovereignty  of  Romish  councils ;  I  impeach 
him  in  the  name  of  the  marriage  bond  of  the  majority  of 
the  happy  households  of  the  Christian  world,  which  he  has 
stigmatized  as  4  filthy  concubinage,'  because  not  contracted 
in  the  Romish  Church  ;  I  impeach  him  in  the  name  of  Prot- 
estantism, which  he  calls  *  heresy '  and  against  which  he 
invokes  tht4  persecution  of  the  civil  government  and  the  tor- 
tures of  the  Inquisition.  In  the  name  of  progress,  which  he 
has  tried  in  v:iin  to  stay  ;  of  modern  civilization,  with  which 
he  cannot  be  reconciled  ;  in  the  name  of  free  and  enlight- 
ened governments  of  the  world,  against  whose  most  benefi- 
cent laws  he  has  hurled  his  anathemas;  in  the  name  of  the 
holy  liible,  whose  free  circulation  he  has  pronounced  a  pest; 
in  the  name  of  free  America,  whose  overthrow  he  has  plotted  ; 
in  the  name  of  Almighty  God,  whose  prerogatives  he  has 
1'lasphemously  usurped  ;  in  the  name  of  all  of  these,  I  im- 
peach the  pope  and  the  hierarchy  which  dominate  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  and  summon  them  to  the  bar  of  oppressed 
humanity  and  of  divine  justice. " — Romanism  and  the  Re- 
public, page  86. 

Further  :  "  In  an  encyclical,  the  pope  says  :  *  The  Romish 
Church  has  a  ri^ht  to  exercise  its  authority  without  any  lim- 
its set  to  it  by  the  civil  power ;  the  pope  and  the  priests 
ought  to  have  dominion  over  temporal  affairs ;  the  Romish 
Church  and  her  ecclesiastics  have  a  right  to  immunity  from 
civil  law  ;  in  case  of  conflict  between  ecclesiastical  and  civil 
powers,  the  ecclesiastical  powers  ought  to  prevail.' "  — 
Sn:«'\«;'s  Our  Country,  page  50. 

"  To  what  extent  may  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  coerce? 
How  does  the  pope,  how  do  the  cardinals  and  archbishops 


334  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

of  to-day  understand  this  term,  as  they  use  it?  We  know 
what  they  meant  by  coercion  in  the  past.  We  know  in  the 
relation  of  the  Huguenots,  the  Waldenses,  Albigenses,  and 
the  Lollards,  what  coercion  has  meant  with  the  Romish 
Church.  We  know  what  the  Inquisition  meant  by  coercion, 
—  death  by  torture,  by  fire,  by  sword  and  axe,  by  starvation, 
by  burying  alive  ;  and  these  have  been  the  sanctioned  meth- 
ods of  the  Romish  Church,  never  repudiated." — Romanism 
and  the  Republic,  page  106. 

Said  Pope  Pius  IX.:  "We  have  been  truly  shocked  at 
this  most  crafty  device  [Bible  societies]  by  which  the  very 
foundations  of  religion  are  undermined.  We  have  delib- 
erated upon  the  means  proper  to  adopt  by  our  pontifical 
authority,  in  order  to  remedy  and  abolish  this  pestilence, 
as  far  as  possible,  this  defilement  of  the  faith,  so  imminently 
dangerous  to  souls." — Ibid.,  page  112. 

AN   AWFUL    DENUNCIATION    AND     CURSING    BY   THE    POPE. 

The  following  exhibits  the  heart  and  soul  of  the  Romish 
hierarchy,  and  the  vicious  spirit  it  harbors  towards  those  not 
of  her  communion.  This  terrible  cursing  is  pronounced 
upon  the  head  of  Victor  Emmanuel,  king  of  united  Italy. 
This  is  the  utterance  of  u  Our  Lord  God,  the  Pope,"  u  The 
Divine  Majesty,"  "  Prince  of  God,"  "  Priest  of  the 
World  "  :  — 

"  By  authority  of  the  Almighty  God,  the  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost ;  and  of  the  Holy  Canons,  and  of  the  un- 
defiled  Virgin  Mary,  mother  and  nurse  of  our  Saviour;  and 
of  the  celestial  virtues,  angels,  archangels,  thrones,  domin- 
ions, powers,  cherubim  and  seraphim  ;  and  of  all  the  holy 
patriarchs  and  prophets  ;  and  of  the  apostles  and  evange- 
lists ;  and  of  the  holy  innocents,  who,  in  the  sight  of  the 
Holy  Lamb,  are  found  worthy  to  sing  the  new  song  ;  and  of 
the  holy  martyrs  and  holy  confessors,  and  of  the  holy  vir- 


\\ 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  335 

gins,  and  of  the  saints,  together  with  all  the  holy  and  elect  of 
God :  we  excommunicate  and  anathematize  him,  and  from 
the  threshold  of  the  holy  church  of  God  Almighty  we 
sequester  him,  that  he  may  be  tormented  in  eternal  excruciat- 
ing sufferings,  together  with  Dathan  and  Abiram,  and  those 
who  say  to  the  Lord  God,  4  Depart  from  us ;  we  desire  none 
of  thy  ways/  And  as  fire  is  quenched  by  water,  so  let  the 
light  of  him  be  put  out  forever  more.  May  the  Son  who 
suffered  for  us,  curse  him.  May  the  Father  who  created 
man,  curse  him.  May  the  Holy  Ghost  which  was  given  to 
us  in  our  baptism,  curse  him.  May  the  Holy  Cross  which 
Christ,  for  our  salvation,  triumphing  over  his  enemies,  as- 
cended, curse  him.  .May  the  Holy  and  eternal  Virgin  Mary, 
mother  of  (iod,  curse  him.  May  St.  Michael,  the  advocate 
of  holy  souls,  curse  him.  May  all  the  angels  and  arch- 
angels, principalities  and  powers,  and  all  the  heavenly  ar- 
mies, curse  him.  May  St.  John  the  precursor,  and  St.  Peter, 
and  St.  Paul,  and  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  St.  Andrew, 
and  all  other  Christ's  apostles,  together  curse  him  ;  and  may 
the  rest  of  his  disciples  and  four  Evangelists,  who  by  their 
preachinir  converted  the  universal  world,  and  may  the  holy 
and  wonderful  company  of  martyrs  and  confessors,  who  by 
their  holy  work  are  found  pleading  to  God  Almighty, 
curse  him.  May  the  choir  of  holy  virgins,  who  for  the 
honor  of  Christ  have  despised  the  things  of  this  world, 
damn  him.  May  all  the  saints  who,  from  the  beginning  of 
the  world  and  everlasting  ages,  are  found  to  be  beloved  of 
<.<>d,  damn  him.  May  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  all 
things  remaining  therein,  damn  him. 

"  May  he  be  damned  wherever  he  may  be  ;  whether  in  the 
house  or  in  the  field,  whether  in  the  highway  or  in  the  by-way, 
whether  in  the  wood  or  water,  or  whether  in  the  church. 
May  he  be  cursed  in  living  and  dying,  in  eating  and  drink- 
inir,  in  fasting  and  thirsting,  in  slumbering  and  sleeping,  in 


336  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

watching  or  walking,  in  standing  or  sitting,  in  lying  down  or 
walking  mengendo  concando,  and  in  all  blood-letting.  May 
he  be  cursed  in  all  the  faculties  of  his  body.  May  he  be 
cursed  inwardly  and  outwardly.  May  he  be  cursed  in  his 
hair,  May  he  be  cursed  in  his  brain.  May  he  be  cursed  in 
the  crown  of  his  head  and  in  his  temples.  In  his  forehead 
and  in  his  ears.  In  his  eyebrows  and  in  his  cheeks.  In  his 
jawbones  and  in  his  nostrils.  In  his  foreteeth  and  in  his 
grinders.  In  his  lips  and  in  his  throat.  In  his  shoulders 
and  in  his  wrists.  In  his  arms,  his  hands,  and  in  his  fingers. 
May  he  be  damned  in  his  mouth,  in  his  breast,  in  his  heart, 
and  in  all  the  viscera  of  his  body.  May  he  be  damned  in 
his  veins  and  in  his  groin  ;  in  his  thighs,  in  his  lips,  and  in 
his  knees  ;  in  his  legs,  feet,  and  toenails. 

"  May  he  be  cursed  in  all  the  joints  and  articulations  of 
his  body.  From  the  top  of  his  head  to  the  sole  of  his  foot 
may  there  be  no  soundness  in  him.  May  the  Son  of  the 
living  God,  with  all  the  glory  of  his  majesty,  curse  him ;  and 
may  heaven,  with  all  the  powers  that  move  therein,  rise  up 
against  him,  curse  him  and  damn  him  !  Amen.  So  let  it 
be!  Amen."  —  Ibid.,  pages  11G,  117,  and  118. 

"  The  distinguished  statesman  of  Spain,  Castelar,  speaking 
of  the  arrogance  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  i860, 
said  to  the  Spanish  Cortes  :  "  There  is  not  a  single  pro- 
gressive principle  which  has  not  been  cursed  by  the  Catholic 
Church.  This  is  true  of  England  and  Germany,  as  well  as 
of  Catholic  countries.  The  church  cursed  the  French  Revo- 
lution, the  Belgium  constitution,  and  the  Italian  independ- 
ence. Nevertheless  all  these  principles  have  unrolled  them- 
selv.es  in  spite  of  it.  Not  a  constitution  has  been  born, 
not  a  single  progress  made,  not  a  solitary  reform  effected, 
which  has  not  been  under  the  terrible  anathemas  of  the 
church."  —  Ibid.,  page  122. 


i'i;i>n>i:.N<  v    \M)   PRIESTHOOD.  337 

K"MAN  CATHOLICISM  IS  Ori'Kl->SI  VK,  TYRANNICAL,  AND  EN- 
8LA\  1.-  PI. on. I-:.  —  Iloi  Dfl  'I  II  AT  "  H.NOKANCE  IS  THE  MOTHER 
OF  DEVOTION,"  AND  IS  A  NECESSITY. 

Concerning  the  intent  and  purpose  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  the  following  from  the  pen  of  Brownson,  one  of 
thrir  oracles,  speaks  for  itself:  "  The  people  need  govein- 
in;_r,  and  must  be  governed.  The}'  must  have  a  master. 
The  religion  which  is  to  answer  our  purpose  must  be  above 
the  people,  and  able  to  command  them.  The  first  lesson  of 
a  child  is  to  obey  ;  the  first  and  last  lesson  to  the  people, 
individually  and  collectively,  is  obey.  There  is  noobedience 
where  there  is  no  authority  to  enjoin  it.  The  Roman 
Catholic  religion,  then,  is  necessary  to  sustain  popular  liberty, 
because  popular  liberty  can  l»e  sustained  only  by  a  religion  free 
from  popular  control,  above  the  people,  speaking  from 
above  and  able  to  command  them,  and  such  a  religion  is  the 
Roman  Catholic.  In  tin's  ,se//.se  we  wish  this  country  to  come 
under  the  power  of  Rome.  As  the  visible  head  of  the 
church,  the  spiritual  authority  which  Almighty  God  has 
instituted  to  teach  and  govern  the  nation,  we  assert  his 
supremacy,  and  tell  our  countrymen  that  we  would  have 
them  submit  to  him.  They  may  Hare  up  as  much  as  they 
please,  and  write  as  many  alarming  and  abusive  editorials  as 
they  choose,  or  can  find  time  and  space  to  do.  They  will 
not  move  us,  or  relieve  themselves  from  the  obligation 
Almighty  God  has  placed  them,  under  of  obeying  the  au- 
thority of  the  Catholic  Church,  pope  and  all."  —  Ibid.,  page 
121).  ^ 

ROMAN    CATHOLIC    VIEWS    OP    AN    OATH. 

"  The  Fourth  General  Lateran  Council,  with  the  ap- 
proval of  Tope  Alexander  III.,  decreed  that  an  oath  in 
opposition  to  the  welfare  of  the  church  and  the  enactments 
of  the  holy  fathers  is  not  to  be  called  an  oath,  but  rather 


338          PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

perjury.  Peter  Deus,  the  great  commentator  of  the  laws 
and  morality  and  theology  of  the  church,  lays  it  clown  as  the 
law  of  the  church,  that  the  right  of  the  pope,  as  the  ulti- 
mate superior  and  sovereign,  is  reserved  in  every  oath, 
which,  of  course,  includes  the  oath  of  allegiance.  He  also 
instructs  the  faithful  that  the  pope  has  the  power  of  with- 
drawing or  prohibiting  what  is  included  in  an  oath  ;  and 
that, 'when  he  does  so,  it  is  no  longer  included."--  Ib>d., 
page  134. 

u  Monsignor  Capel,  a  very  distinguished  Roman  Catholic, 
while  stopping  in  the  city  of  New  York,  in  reply  to  the 
question,  in  an  interview  by  Mr.  H.  A.  Crous,  'Whom 
must  we  obey,  if  the  state  should  command  the  citizen  to  do 
one  thing,  and  the  church  should  command  him  to  do 
another?'  Monsignor  Capel  replied,  '  Then  he  must  obey 
the  church,  of  course.'  "  —  Ibid.,  page  163. 

"  A  culprit  or  a  witness,  questioned  by  a  judge,  but  in  an 
illegal  manner,  may  swear  that  he  knows  nothing  of  the 
crime  about  which  he  is  questioned,  although  he  knows  it 
well,  meaning  mentally,  that  he  knows  nothing,  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  answer.  .  .  .  When  a  crime  is  well  concealed, 
the  witness,  and  even  the  criminal,  may,  and  even  must, 
swear  that  the  crime  has  never  been  committed.  The  guilty 
party  may  yet  do  likewise  when  a  half  proof  cannot  be 
brought  against  him.  .  .  .  Signori  asks  whether  a  woman, 
accused  of  the  crime  of  adultery,  which  she  has  really  com- 
mitted, may  deny  it  under  oath.  He  answers,  '  Yes,  pro- 
vided she  has  been  to  confess,  and  receive  absolution;  for 
then,'  he  says,  '  the  sin  has  been  pardoned,  and  has  really 
ceased  to  exist.  ...  As  for  an  oath,  made  for  a  good 
and  legitimate  object,  it  seems  there  should  be  no  power 
capable  of  annulling  it.  However,  when  it  is  for  the  good 
of  the  public,  a  matter  which  comes  under  the  immediate 
jurisdiction  of  the  pope,  who  has  the  supreme  power  over 


PKKMDKVV    AM)    1'KI  KSTHOOD.  339 

the  church,  the  pope  has  full  power  to  release  from  Unit 
oath.'  (SiGNORi,  in.  /''./'//  Years  in  the  Church  of  Rome, 
Chap.  XIII.)  It  has  undoubtedly  become  the  settled  law 
of  the  Roman  Church  that  the  pope  may  dispense  with  any 
promissory  oaths,  by  withdrawing  the  promise  or  prohibiting 
•B  performance.  .  .  .  They  are  not  to  be  called  oaths,  but 
rather  perjury,  which  are  in  apposition  to  the  welfare  of 
the  chureh  and  the  enactment  of  the  Holy  Fathers."  —  Deus, 
/'<i]>acy  and  Civil  ]*<»•'<  r,  note  to  page  560.  • 

I'AI'AL    SI   I'KI  M\«  V     Ml.  AN-    TIIK    MOST    ABSOLUTE    DICTATION. 


'•  In_Italy,  as  lal*  as  I8g£j  not  a  liible  could  }K>  sold; 
not  n  voice  could  be  heard  preaching  Christ  on  any  part  of 
Italian  soil.  The  punishment  for  Mich  an  offence  was  im- 
prisonmcntor  death.  The  few  friends  of  freedom,  sorne- 
times  in  caves,  sometimes  in  woods,  were  nccustomedjjjx 
fear  and  tremblinjyU^meet  and  pray]  The  dungeons  of  the. 
Inquisition  were  full.  The  stories  of  their  horrors  are  top 
dreadful  to  be  told  here.  The  testimonies  of  De  Sanctis  and 
>//i  and  others,  which  cannot  be  impeached,  open  before 
us  damp,  dark  dungeons,  when*  men  and  women  we_re 
starved  to  death;  the  hoiriMe  vats  where  they  were  put 
alive  into  quick-lime  to  perish  for  their  faith;  the  secret 
trap-doors  through  which  they  were  dropped,  where  their 
c_ri_es  could  not  be  heard,  and  tl|eir  protests  were  unknown." 
—  II'  j  IK  ^  i.  n  i  am  and  the  Republic^  page  141. 

II       IS     HIE      INTENT    OF     ROMANISM    TO    DESTKOY    THE     PUBLIC 
SCHOOLS,  EVEN    OF    AMKKICA. 

the  papal  encyclical  :  '  The  Komish  Church  has  the 
right  to  interfere  in  the  discipline  of  the  public  schools,  and 
the  arrangement  of  studies  of  public  schools,  and  in  .the 
choice  of  teachers  of  these  schools.  Public  schools,  open  to 
all  children  for  the  education  of  the  young,  should  be  under 


340  PRESIDENCY    AND    PIUESTHOOD. 

the  control  of  the  Romish  Church,  and  should  not  be  subject 
to  the  civil  power,  nor  made  to  conform  to  the  opinions  of 
the  age/  (Encyclical  XLV.  and  XLVIL)"— Ibid.,  page  156. 

Says  the  Rev.  Dr.  Toebbe,  bishop  of  Covington  :  u  The 
public  schools  are  infidel  and  godless,  and  must  therefore  be 
avoided." 

"  c  Catholics  would  not  be  satisfied  with  the  public  schools, 
even  if  the  Protestant  Bible  and  every  vestige  of  religious 
teaching  were  banished  from  them.  They  will  not  be  taxed 
either  for  educating  the  children  of  Protestants  or  having 
their  own  children  educated  in  schools  under  Protestant  con- 
trol.' (Boston  Advertiser.)"  —  Ibid.,  pages  159,  161. 

"  The  Catholic  World,  of  July,  1870,  gives  this  interesting 
information  :  *  The  supremacy  asserted  for  the  church  in  mat- 
ters of  education  implies  the  additional  and  cognate  functions  of 
the  censorship  of  ideas,  and  the  right  to  examine  and 
approve,  or  disapprove,  all  books,  publications,  writings,  and 
utterances  intended  for  public  instruction,  enlightenment,  or 
entertainment,  and  the  supervision  of  places  of  amusement.'  " 
—  Ibid.,  page  162. 

" '  We  determine  and  decree  that  hard  by  every  church,  where 
it  does  not  already  exist,  a  parochial  school  is  to  be  erected 
within  two  years  of  the  promulgation  of  this  council  [Jan- 
uary 6,  1886],  and  to  be  kept  up  in  the  future,  unless  the 
bishop  sees  fit  to  grant  a  further  delay  on  account  of  more 
than  ordinary  grave  difficulties  to  be  overcome  in  its  estab- 
lishment/ (Baltimore  Council.) 

"  '  Let  the  public  school  system  go  to  where  it  came  from 
-  the  devil.'  (Freeman's  Journal,  Nov.  20,  1869.)"— Ibid., 
pages- 168,  173. 

THE    POPES    DENOUNCE    LIBERTY    OF    CONSCIENCE. 

"  When  in  this  country  we  speak  of  liberty  of  conscience, 
we  mean  that  every  man  shall  be  permitted  to  worship  God 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  .341 

as  his  own  personal  convictions  of  duty  shall  dictate.  But 
the  papal  hierarchy  have  no  such  meaning,  and  intend 
nothing  of  the  sort.  With  them,  liberty  of  conscience 
merely  consists  in  the  right  to  embrace,  profess,  and  practise 
the  Catholic  religion  in  a  Protestant  country,  and  not  the 
right  to  embrace,  profess,  and  practise  the  Protestant  religion 
in  a  Roman  Catholic  country.  Protestantism  cannot  be 
tolerated  or  compromised  without  sin,  and  must  be  extermi- 
nated." (  The  Papacy  and  the  Civil  Power,  page  35.)  — Ibid., 
186. 

TIN-:    CHARACTER    "1      MIL    1'oi'ES. 

"Can  Romanism  appeal  to  history  for  sanction  of  papal 
infallibility?  Shall  I  have  time  to  tell  you  of  the  monsters  of 
iniquity  some  of  these  popes  were?  But  the  Roman  Catholic 
hierarchs  of  the  middle  and  succeeding  ages  exhibited  a  mel- 
ancholy change.  Their  lives  displayed  all  the  variations  of 
impiety,  malevolence,  inhumanity,  ambition,  debauchery, 
gluttony,  sensuality,  deism,  and  atheism.  Gregory  the  Great 
seems  to  have  led  the  way  in  the  career  of  villany.  This 
well-known  pontiff  has  been  characterized  as  worse  than  his 
predecessors,  and  better  than  his  successors,  or,  in  other 
terms,  as  the  last  good  and  first  bad  pope.  The  flood-gates 
of  moral  dissolution  appeared,  in  the  tenth  century,  to  have 
been  set  wide  open,  and  inundations  of  impurity  poured 
on  the  Christian  world  through  the  channel  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  hierarchs. 

44  Awful  and  melancholy  indeed  is  the  picture  of  the 
popedom  at  this  era,  drawn  as  it  has  been  by  its  warmest 
friends,  Platina,  Petavius,  Suitprand,  Genebrard,  Baronius, 
Hermann,  Barclay,  Binius,  Grannone,  Vignier,  Labbe,  and 
Du  Piu."  (EDGAR'S  Variations  of  Popery,  pages  108,  109.) 
—Ibid.,  page  209. 

"  On  two  separate  occasions  there  were  three  popes.    Now , 


342  PRESIDENCY    AND    PKIESTHOOD. 

which  of  these  three  was  pope.,  when  all  three  claimed  to  be? 
They  were  all  cursing,  — if  that  is  any  mark  of  a  pope,— 
every  man  of  them  anathematizing  and  denouncing  the  others. 
At  that  time,  known  as  the  great  schism,  occurring  from  and 
after  1378,  there  was  a  period  of  seventy  years  "in  which 
there  was  a  pope  at  Avignon,  over  in  France,  and  a  pope  in 
Rome,  and  they  surely  did  not  hold  each  other  in  good  es- 
timation. There  were  seventy  years  in  which  the  air  was 
blue  with  their  mutual  anathemas,  and  the  apostolic  succes- 
sion was  wholly  unsettled.  Now,  you  will  remember  that 
these  popes  were  all  infallible.  I  affirm  to  you  that,  by  the 
authority  of  Roman  Catholic  historians,  many  of  these  popes 
were  guilty  of  the  most  infamous  crimes,  and  that  the  councils 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  itself  have  characterized 
many  of  the  popes  in  language  so  dreadful  that  it  is  hardly 
fit  to  be  read  before  any  audience.  .  .  . 

u  The  sacred  Synod  of  Constance,  in  the  twelfth  session, 
convicted  His  Holiness  of  schism,  heresy,  incorrigibleness, 
simony,  impiety,  immodesty,  unchastity,  fornication,  adultery, 
incest,  rape,  piracy,  lying,  robbery,  murder,  perjury,  and 
infidelity.  This  was  John  XXIII.,  pope  of  Rome  ;  and  that 
is  what  the  council  of  Constance  said  of  him,  the  very  same 
council  that  burned  John  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague."  — 
Ibid.,  page  207. 

Others  of  the  popes  were  charged  with  similar  crimes, 
and  convicted.  The  popes  would  have  similar  imputations 
against  the  councils.  But  the  Roman  Catholics  have  a  seda- 
tive that  fortifies  against  all  of  this  degeneracy  and  violence, 
and  in  their  opinion  the  keys  of  St.  Peter  are  transmitted 
unsullied  through  all  this  fearful  line  of  iniquity.  Says 
Peter  Fredet,  D.  D.,  a  Catholic  writer:  "It  is  true,  a  few 
among  them  gave  great  scandal  to  the  Christian  world  in 
their  private  character  and  conduct ;  but  it  ought  to  be 
remembered,  at  the  same  time,  that,  through  a  special  protec- 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  343 

tion  of  Divine  Providence,  tke  irregularity  of  their  lives  did 
not  interfere  with  their  public  duty,  from  which  they  never 
departed.  The  beneficial  influence  of  sacred  jurisdiction 
-  not  depend  on  the  private  virtue  of  the  persons  invested 
with  it,  but  on  their  divine  mission  and  appointment  to  feed 
the  Christian  flock.  Nor  did  Christ  promise  personal  sanc- 
tity to  its  chief  pastors,  but  gave  to  them  authority  to  teach 
and  govern  the  faithful."  —  Ibid.,  pages  212,  213. 

Here  we  have  it.  The  man  may  be  a  great  sinner,  but  the 
popr  is  pun-  and  holy.  This  is  Roman  Catholic  theology. 

THi:    ROMAN   CATHOLIC   IDEA    OF    EDUCATION. 

"The  Catholic  World  for  April,  1871,  gives  the  Roman 
Catholic  idea  of  education  as  follows  :  — 

41 1  Education  is  the  American  hobby  ;  regarded,  as  unedu- 
cated or  poorly  educated  people  usually  regard  it,  as  a  sort 
of  panacea  for  all  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  We  ourselves, 
as  Catholics,  are,  as  decidedly  as  any  other  class  of  American 
citizens,  in  favor  of  universal  education,  as  thorough  and 
extensive  aa  possible  —  if  the  quality  wits  us.  We  do  not 
indeed  prize  as  highly  as  some  of  our  countrymen  appear  to 
do  the  ability  to  read,  write,  and  cipher.  Some  men  are  born 
to  be  leaders,  and  the  rest  are  born  to  be  led.  .  .  .  The  best 
ordered  and  administered  state  is  that  in  which  the  few  are 
icetl  educated  and  lead,  and  the  many  are  trained  to  obedience, 
are  willing  to  be  directed,  content  to  follow,  and  do  not  aspire 
to  be  leaders.  In  extending  education,  and  endeavoring  to 
train  all  to  be  leaders,  we  have  only  extended  presumption, 
pretension,  conceit,  indocility,  and  brought  incapacity  to  the 
surface.  We  believe  that  the  peasantry  in  old  Catholic  coun- 
tries, two  centuries  ago,  were  better  educated,  although  for  the 
most  part  unable  to  read  and  write,  than  are  the  g-eat  body  of 
the  American  people  to-day.1  .  .  .  That  is  Roman  Catholic 


344          PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

education.  Do  you  say  this  is  only  my  statement  of  it?  No  ; 
it  is  their  own.  And  do  you  want  it  emphasized?  Look  at 
Italy,  and  France,  and  Spain,  and  Portugal,  and  Austria, 
and  Mexico,  and  South  America,  if  you  desire  illustrations. 
What  is  their  idea  of  education  ?  The  few  to  be  taught  and 
lead,  the  many  to  do  what  tyrants  have  made  their  subjects 
do  through  all  the  years  of  this  suffering  world's  history,  — 
to  grind  in  their  prison-houses  for  the  enrichment  of  des- 
pots." —  Ibid.,  page  234. 

There  is  a  vast  difference  between  this  idea  of  education 
and  that  system  that  makes  it  possible  for  the  poor. boy,  the 
farmer,  tailor,  tanner,  the  shoemaker,  the  carpenter,  indeed, 
all  classes  of  workmen,  to  secure  an  education  and  rise  to 
the  highest  stations  in  life,  by  industry  and  skill,  that  is 
adopted  by  the  American  people.  That  is,  to  teach  every 
man  all  that  he  is  capable  of  receiving. 

Roman  Catholics  urge  that  the  schools  should  be  under  the 
direction  of  the  priests.  Monks  and  nuns  are  the  preferred 
teachers. 

Says  Mr.  Lansing:  UI  noticed  in  one  of  our  papers  in 
this  city  yesterday  or  the  day  before,  a  list  of  the  professors 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  College  of  the  Holy  Cross  in  this  city 
[Worcester,  Mass.]  for  the  ensuing  year.  Every  one  of 
those  gentlemen  had  after  his  name  the  letters  S.  J.  What 
does  it  mean?  Society  of  Jesus — Jesuits." 

Here  is  the  oath  that  all  Jesuits  take:  "  I  do  renounce  and 
disown  any  allegiance  as  due  to  any  heretical  king,  prince  or 
state  named  Protestant,  or  obedience  to  any  of  their  inferior 
magistrates  or  officers.  I  do  further  declare,  that  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Church  of  England,  the  Calvinists,  Huguenots, 
and  others  of  the  name  of  Protestants,  to  be  damnable  ;  and 
they  themselves  are  damned,  and  to  be  damned,  that  will  not 
forsake  the  same.  I  do  further  declare  that  I  will  help, 
assist,  and  advise  all  or  any  of  His  Holiness's  agents  in 


PRESIDENCY    AM)    I'IMKSTHOOD.  345 

:my  place  wherever  I  shall  be,  in  England,  Scotland,  or 
in  any  other  territory  or  kingdom  I  shall  come  to;  and  do 
my  utmost  to  extirpate  the  heretical  Protestants'  doctrine, 
ami  to  destroy  all  their  pretended  powers,  legal  or  otherwise. 
I  do  further  promise  and  declare  that,  notwithstanding  I  am 
dispensed  with  to  assume  any  religion  heretical,  for  the  prop- 
.iLMting  of  the  Mother  Church's  interests,  to  keep  secret  and 
private  all  her  agents'  councils  from  time  to  time,  as  they 
intrust  me,  :m<l  not  to  divulge,  directly  or  indirectly,  by 
w«.r«l,  writing,  or  circumstance  whatsoever,  but  to  execute  all 
that  shall  be  proposed,"  etc. 

4 'These  are  the  preferred  teachers  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
rimrch.  Those  who  have  denounced  everything,  political, 
religious,  and  educational,  exrrpt  that  which  is  associated 
with  the  interests  of  Rome.  Here  is  what  is  found  in  a  text- 
book, entitled  '  Familiar  Kxplanation  of  Christian  Doctrine, 
a<laptr<l  for  the  family  and  more  advanced  students  in 
Catholic  schools  and  colleges/  published  in  1875,  by 
Kreuzer  Brothers,  Baltimore,  and  sanctioned  by  Archbishop 
r.aylcy.  Lesson  XII.  is  called  4  No  salvation  outside  of  the 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.'  The  questions  and  answers 
run  thus  (this  is  what  they  want  to  use  instead  of  Swinton's 
History)  :  '  Q.  Since  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  alone  is 
the  true  church  of  Jesus  Christ,  can  any  one  who  is  outside 
of  the  church  be  saved?  A.  He  cannot.  —  Q.  Did  Jesus 
Christ  himself  assure  us  most  solemnly,  and  in  plain  words, 
that  no  one  can  be  saved  out  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church? 
A.  lie  did,  when  he  said  to  his  apostles,  "Go  and  teach 
all  nations,"  etc.  —  Q.  What  do  the  fathers  of  the  church 
say  about  the  salvation  of  those  who  die  out  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church?  A.  They  all,  without  any  exception,  pro- 
nounce them  infallibly  lost  forever.  —  Q.  Are  there  any  other 
reasons  to  show  that  heretics,  or  Protestants,  who  die  out  of 
tin-  Roman  Catholic  Church,  are  not  saved?  A.  There  are 


346  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

several.  They  cannot  be  saved  because  (1)  they  have  no 
divine  faith;  (2)  they  make  a  liar  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  of  the  apostles  ;  (3)  they  haye  no  faith 
in  Christ ;  (4)  they  fell  away  from  the  true  church  of 
Christ ;  (5)  they  cannot  perform  any  good  works  whereby 
they  can  obtain  heaven  ;  (6)  they  do  not  receive  the  body 
and  blood  of  Christ;  (7)  they  die  in  their  sins;  (8)  they 
ridicule  and  blaspheme  the  mother  of  God  and  his  saints ; 
(9)  they  slander  the  spouse  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Catholic 
Church/  Again,  on  page  97  :  '  Q.  Now  do  you  think  that 
God,  the  Father,  will  admit  into  heaven  those  who  make 
liars  of  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the 
apostles?  A.  No;  he  will  let  them  have  their  portion  with 
Lucifer  in  he1!,  who  first  rebelled  against  Christ,  and  who  is 
the  father  of  liars. — Q.  Have  Protestants  any  faith  in 
Christ?  A.  They  never  had.  —  Q.  Why  not?  A.  Because 
there  never  lived  such  a  Christ  as  they  imagine  and  believe 
in.  —  Q.  In  what  kind  of  a  Christ  do  they  believe  in  ?  A. 
In  such  a  one  of  whom  they  can  make  a  liar,  etc.  —  Q.  Will 
such  a  faith  in  such  a  Christ  save  Protestants?  A.  No 
sensible  man  will  assert  such  an  absurdity.  —  Q.  What  will 
Christ  say  to  them  on  the  day  of  judgment?  A.  "I  know 
you  not,  because  you  never  knew  me."  '  Again,  page  104  : 
'  Q.  Are  Protestants  willing  to  confess  their  sins  to  a  Catho- 
lic bishop,  or  priest,  who  alone  has  power  from  Christ  to 
forgive  sins?  A.  No;  for  they  generally  have  an  utter 
aversion  to  confession,  and  therefore  their  sins  will  not  be 
forgiven  throughout  all  eternity.  —  Q.  What  follows  from 
this?  A.  That  they  will  die  in  their  sins,  and  are  damned.' >: 
—  Ibid.,  pages  240,  241. 

This  is  the  teaching  of  Archbishop  Bayley. 

"  '  When  I  was  a  little  boy,  in  Canada,  at  school,'  saj^s  a 
converted  Catholic  in  this  city,  '  we  were  encouraged  in  dis- 
like of  our  Protestant  fellow-pupils,  so  that  we  thought  it 


PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  347 

right  to  throw  missiles  at  them,  and  abuse  them,  and  often 
they  went  bleeding  from  the  encounter,  having  committed  no 
offence  against  us,  only  they  were  Protestants/"  —  Ibid., 
page  242. 

Protestants  might  learn  a  very  profitable  lesson  from  the 
above,  and  cultivate  the  virtues  of  toleration,  civility,  and 
Christian  graces  toward  each  other  and  the  Catholics. 

4-  William  Ilogan,  who  was  for  many  years  a  priest  in  the 
Koi nan  Catholic  Church,  says,  on  page  172  of  his  book, 
which  he  wrote  after  he  became  a  distinguished  lawyer  in  the 
Southern  United  States:  'I  pronounce  all  Roman  Catholic 
prii'-N,  bi>hops,  poprs,  monks,  friars,  and  nuns  to  be  the 
most  deliberate  and  wilful  set  of  liars  that  ever  infested  this 
or  any  other  country,  or  disgraced  the  name  of  religion.  .  .  . 
I  have  asserted,  and  continue  to  assert,  that  there  is  not  a 
Ko'iiau  Catholic  church,  chapel,  or  house  of  worship  in  any 
Catholto  country  where  indulgences  are  not  sold.  I  will  go 
even  further,  and  say,  that  there  is  not  a  Roman  Catholic 
priest,  or  inquisitor,  who  has  denied  the  fact  that  he  does  not 
sell  indulgences  himself.  And  yet  these  priests  and  these 
bishops  —  these  men  of  sin,  falsehood,  impiety,  barbarity, 
and  immorality — talk  of  morals,  and  preach  morals,  while 
in  their  lives  and  their  practice  they  laugh  at  such  ideas  as 
morality. 

"  4 1  would  ask  all  or  any  of  them  if  they  have  ever  heard 
mass  in  any  Catholic  church  in  Dublin,  or  any  other  city  in 
Ireland,  without  hearing  published  from  the  altar  a  notice,  in 
the  following  words  :  "  Take  notice  that  there  will  be  an  in- 
dulgence on day,  in church.  Confessions  will  be 

heard  on  —  —  day.  Prepare,  those  who  wish  to  partake  of 
the  indulgence."  I  have  published  hundreds  of  such  notices 
myself,  and  any  American  who  may  visit  Ireland,  or  any 
other  Catholic  country,  and  has  the  curiosity,  may  enter  the 
Roman  Catholic  chapel  and  hear  these  notices  read,  and 


348  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

when  he  returns  to  the  United  States  he  will  hear  the  Roman 
Catholic  priest  say  that  there  are  no  indulgences  sold  by  the 
Romish  Church/"  (HOGAN'S  Popery,  page  172.)  —  Roman- 
ism and  the  Republic,  pages  265,  266. 

MURDER. 

"  '  A  man  who  has  been  excommunicated  by  the  pope  may 
be  killed  anywhere,  as  Escobar  and  Deaux  teach ;  because 
the  pope  has  an  indirect  jurisdiction  over  tbe  whole  world, 
even  in  temporal  things,  as  all  the  Catholics  maintain,  and  as 
Suarez  proves  against  the  king  of  England.  .  .  .  Pope 
Gregory  VII.  decided  it  was  no  murder  to  kill  excommuni- 
cated persons.'  This  is  taken  from  the  London  Times,  July 
26,  1872,  written  by  Lord  Acton.  Gregory  says:  'This 
rule  was  incorporated  in  the  canon  law.  ...  It  appears  in 
every  reprint  of  the  Corpus  Juris.  It  has  been  for  seven 
hundred  }Tears  and  continues  to  be  part  of  the  ecclesiastical 
law.  Far  from  being  a  dead  letter,  it  obtained  a  new  appli- 
cation in  the  days  of  the  Inquisition  ;  and  one  of  the  popes 
has  declared  that  the  murder  of  a  Protestant  is  so  good  a 
deed  that  it  atones,  and  more  than  atones,  for  the  murder  of 
a  Catholic.'  They  claim  the  right  to  murder  all  rulers  whom 
they  consider  apostates ;  and  has  it  ever  been  brought  to 
your  attention  (I  speak  of  it  as  a  curiosity  only)  that  every 
person  who  had  anything  to  do  with  the  assassination  of 
AbrahamLin  coin  was  a  Roman  Catholic  ?  that  John  "Wilkes 
Booth  was  a  Roman  Catholic;  Payne  and  Asterott ;  also, 
Dr.  Judd,  who  dressed  his  leg ;  Garrett,  on  whose  premises 
he  was  killed  ;  also,  that  Harold  was  a  Roman  Catholic  ?  Mrs. 
Surratt  and  her  son  were  Roman  Catholics  ;  in  their  house  was 
the  headquarters  for  Roman  Catholics  and  Jesuit  priests. 
All  of  this  was  brought  out  before  the  military  tribunal  which 
condemned  some  of  them  to  death."  —  Ibid.,  pages  270,  271, 
272. 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  349 


IMAGE     WORSHIP. 

"The  Eighth  General  Council  commands  the  adoration  of 
images.  The  fatuous  superstition  of  that  age  is  perhaps 
more  fitly  illustrated  by  the  third  canon  of  the  Eighth  Gen- 
eral Council,  which  was  held  in  Constantinople,  in  870 
A.I).  4  We  decree  that  the  holy  image  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  liberator  and  Saviour  of  all  men,  shall  be  adored 
equally  with  the  Book  of  the  Holy  Gospels.  .  .  .  For,  as  by 
uttering  the  syllables  which  are  found  written  in  that  book, 
we  all  attain  our  eternal  salvation,  so  also,  by  the  operation 
of  the  imagination  on  the  colors  of  the  image  we  all,  learned 
and  unlearned,  derive  an  equal  advantage.  Every  one,  there- 
fore, who  does  not  adore  an  image  of  our  Saviour  shall  not 
behold  himself  when  lie  comes  in  his  glory,  to  be  glorified 
with  and  to  glorify  all  his  saints  ;  but  such  an  one  shall  be  de- 
barred from  all  communion  with  him  in  his  glory.  The  same 
rule  applies  to  the  image  of  Mary,  his  pure  mother  and  the 
mother  of  (iod  ;  so  it  does,  also,  to  the  images  of  the  holy 
angels,  and  also  to  the  images  of  the  most  praiseworthy 
apostles,  and  prophets,  and  martyrs,  and  holy  men,  and  to 
the  images  of  all  the  saints ;  we  must  honor  and  adore  all 
those  images  also.  And  if  one  should  omit  to  adore  them 
all,  let  him  be  anathema  from  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit.'"— MONTAGU,  page  224. 

"Thomas  Aquinas  (St.  Thomas)  declares  that  the  same 
x  i  vice  or  worship  has  to  be  paid  to  both  the  person  and 
to  the  image  of  the  person ;  the  same  to  the  image  of 
Christ  as  to  Christ  himself ;  the  same  to  Mary  and  an  image 
of  Mary  ;  the  same  to  a  saint  and  to  the  image  of  the  saint. 
As  Christ  must  be  worshipped  with  supreme  devotion,  there*- 
fore  an  image  of  him  must  always  be  adored  with  supreme 
d. -Notion.  .  .  .  We  say  that  a  cross  is  to  be  worshipped 
with  the  worship  due  to  God;  and  for  this  reason  we  sup- 


350  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD, 

plicate  a  cross,  and  we  pray  to  a  cross,  as  if  Christ  himself, 
hanging  on  the  cross,  were  before  us. 

u  Many  and  many  a  time,  in  foreign  lands,  have  I  seen  the 
poor  people  drop  down  in  the  presence  of  a  cross  by  the 
roadside,  or  in  a  chapel,  and  embrace  it  as  though  they 
held  the  feet  of  Christ  himself-  ...  In  the  church  of  the 
Aracoeli  at  Rome,  at  the  Capitoline  Hill,  there  was  formerly 
a  bronze  image  of  a  she-wolf  that  was  worshipped  by  the 
old  Roman  pagans  ;  they  have  taken  away  the  bronze  image 
of  the  she-wolf,  and  have  put  in  its  stead  one  of  the  most 
hideous-looking  wooden  dolls  that  one  ever  beheld.  That 

o 

BambiDO  (the  word  means  buby),  as  an  object  of  worship, 
I  have  looked  at  while  hundreds  were  thronging  in  and 
prostrating  themselves  before  it.  It  is  most  carefully 
guarded  by  the  priests  of  that  church,  as  containing  miracu- 
lous power. 

"Among  the  images  that  I  must  mention,  in  order  to  give 
3  ou  a  just  idea  of  their  prominence  [in  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church],  let  me  remark  on  that  in  St.  Peter's,  the  image  of 
Peter  himself,  under  that  grandest  dome  in  the  world,  in  a 
church  the  splendor  of  which  exceeds  anything  your  eyes 
ever  rested  on,  —  unless  you  have  seen  that  itself,  —  on  a  high 
pedestal,  higher  than  my  breast,  stands  this  bronze  statue, 
larger  than  life,  cast  from  the  bronze  that  was  formerly  in 
an  old  Roman  statue,  now  made  to  represent  the  Apostle 
Peter.  This,  also,  is  clothed  with  the  pope's  robes  once  in 
a  year ;  on  its  head  is  placed  the  triple  crown,  and  on  its  fin- 
ger the  ring  of  the  pope,  and  every  day  when  that  church 
is  open  (I  think  it  is  open  every  day  in  the  year),  the 
thronging  multitudes  crowd  about  the  image  and  bow  them- 
selves down  before  it  as  if  it  were  God.  The  bronze  statue 
of  Peter  is  worshipped  devoutly  by  the  peasants  arid  lower 
population,  who  kneel  along  on  the  marble  floor  before  it ; 
then  reverently  approach  to  kiss  the  worn  toe  that  records 


1  KKSIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD.  351 

the  millions  of  kisses  it  has  received.  I  saw  a  noble-looking 
priest,  robed  in  white,  his  head  as  white  as  his  dress,  rev- 
erently approach  this  statue,  carefully  wipe  the  worn  toe, 
kiss  it,  and  press  his  forehead  against  it ;  kiss  it  a  second 
time  with  tokens  of  awe  and  reverence,  then  retire  as  from 
the  presence  of  a  royal  ruler." — Ibid.,  pages  299,  300, 
301,  303. 

IMMACULATK   CONrKPTION   OP  THE   VIRGIN   MARY. 

"  On  the  eighth  day  of  December,  1854,  Pope  Pius  IX. 
sat  under  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's,  with  a  triple  crown, 
blazing  with  jewels,  on  his  head,  and  with  the  splendid  ar>- 
paivl  of  the  pope  upon  his  shoulders.  Around  him  knelt  five 
hundred  prelates  and  dignitaries  of  the  church ;  before  him 
\\eiv  ten  thousand  of  the  faithful,  and  in  the  great  square 
nut -id*-  fully  forty  thousand  more.  As  they  solemnly  waited 
in  this  presence,  a  cardinal  arose,  and  advancing  toward  the 
pope,  said  slowly,  *  Father,  tell  us  if  we  shall  believe  and 
tradi  that  tin-  Virgin  Mary  was  immaculate  in  her  concep- 
tion ' ;  and  the  pope  solemnly  answered,  '  We  do  not  know. 
Let  us  inquire  of  the  Holy  Spirit.'  And  all  joined  to  sing 
4  Come,  Holy  Spirit.'  Then  the  cardinal  again  arose,  and 
advancing  as  before,  asked  the  same  question  ;  and  the  pope 
answered,  *  We  do  not  know  now.  Let  us  ask  the  Holy 
Spirit/  And  once  more  the  assembled  thousands  sang, 
4  Come,  Holy  Spirit.'  When,  for  the  third  time,  in  all  the 
pomp  and  magnificence  of  ceremony,  the  cardinal  advanced, 
the  pope  answered  to  the  question,  4  Shall  we  believe  and 
trach  that  the  Virgin  Mary  was  immaculate  in  her  concep- 
tion?'  4  Yes,  yes.  The  Virgin  Mary  was  immaculate  in  her 
conception.  So  believe  and  teach.  There  is  no  salvation  to 
those  who  deny  this  teaching  '  It  was  then  proclaimed  a 
dogma  of  the  church."—  Ibid.,  page  321. 


352  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 


THE   VIRGIN    MARY    WORSHIPPED    AS    BEING    DIVINE. 

u  In  order  to  become  the  mother  of  God,  the  blessed  Vir- 
gin Mary  had  to  be  raised  to  an  equality  with  the  Trinity,  so 
to  speak,  by  being  infinite  in  perfections  and  graces,  an  equal- 
ity which  no  creature  ever  obtained.  .  .  .  There  is  no  grace 
comes  from  heaven  to  us,  unless  the  Virgin  Mary  dispenses 
it  to  us.  For  this  office  she,  and  she  alone,  obtained  of 
God  from  all  eternity."  (ST.  BERNARDINUS  SENENSIS.) — Ibid., 
page  326. 

"  In  the  city  of  Lisbon,  Portugal,  there  is  a  church  dedi- 
cated to  Mary  as  a  goddess,  in  the  following  words  :  '  To 
the  Virgin,  goddess  of  Soretto,  the  Italian  race  devoted  to 
her  divinity,  have  dedicated  this  temple.' " —  Ibid.,  page  334. 

"  Pope  Sixtus  IV.,  who  erected  a  triumphal  arch  on  the 
bridge  of  St.  Angelo,  on  which  he  called  himself  God, 
granted  to  those  who  prayed  to  the  Virgin  Mary  an  indul- 
gence of  one  hundred  thousand  years." 

"  The  rosary  of  Mary,"  says  Dr.  Barnum,  in  his  book,  "is 
the  most  popular  of  all  the  forms  of  Roman  Catholic  devo- 
tion. That  rosary  has  on  it  fifteen  beads,  and  every  one  of 
these  has  associated  with  it  a  special  thought  of  prayer. 
These  prayers  are  offered  variously,  with  certain  changes  of 
form  and  manner,  to  the  Holy  Virgin  Mary.  .  .  .  4  It  is 
the  will  of  God  that  all  graces  should  come  to  us  by  the 
hand  of  Mary.'  (SIGNORI,  page  5.)  c  To  reverence  the  Queen 
of  Angels  is  to  gain  eternal  life.'  (Page  8.)  '  All  graces  are 
dispensed  by  Mary  ;  and  all  who  are  saved,  are  saved  only 
by  means  of  this  Divine  Mother/"  (Page  14.)  — Ibid.,  pages 
337,338. 

AURICULAR    CONFESSION. 

"  Auricular  means  confession  in  the  ear,  and,  of  course, 
to  a  priest.  The  penitent  is  compelled  to  confess  every 


PRESIDENCY    AND    I'KIKSTHOOD.  353 

known  thing,  whether  male  or  female.  It  leads  to  captivity 
and  crime.  A  beautiful  woman  recites :  *  When  I  went  to 
the  first  [confessional]  I  was  a  spotless,  stainless  woman. 
He  asked  me  those  questions  that  poisoned  and  degraded 
my  soul,  and  blackened  my  life.  The  sin  that  followed  was 
only  thf  natural  consequence.  I  left  him  in  the  bitterness 
of  my  spirit,  and  went,  after  a  year  of  sin,  to  another  con- 
fessor, an  old  man.  The  same  thing  followed  again/  etc. 
It  is  a  source  of  humiliation  and  degradation,  in  which  one 
voluntarily  places  himself  in  bondage  to  others.  Absolution 
follows  confession.  When  the  penitent  has  confessed,  the 
priest  uses  the  following  language:  'The  passion  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  merits  of  the  blessed  Mary,  always 
viiirin,  and  of  all  the  saints,  and  whatever  good  you  have 
done,  and  whatever  evil  you  have  suffered,  be  unto  you  for 
the  remission  of  sins,  the  increase  of  grace,  and  the  reward 
of  eternal  life.  Amen.' " 

1MUKSTS    TKI.L    WHAT    TIIKV    IIKAK    IN    THE    CONFESSION. 

44  The  following  are  the  words  of  one  who  was  himself  a 
popish  priest  for  some  time.  Referring  to  another  priest, 
whom  he  occasionally  met,  he  says :  'All  our  conversation 
ran  upon  the  stories  he  heard  in  confession  ;  but  he  is  not  the 
only  person  who  is  free  in  what  he  has  heard,  for  it  is  the 
ordinary  discourse  of  the  priests,  when  they  meet,  to  inform 
one  another  of  what  they  have  heard  in  confession.  This  I 
ran  assert,  because  I  was  often  present  at  such  conferences, 
where  the  conversation  was  so  indecent  that  even  an  honest 
I'agan  would  have  blushed/ 

"De  Sanctino  says,  after  speaking  of  the  character  of  the 
confessors  :  4  While  the  penitent  arraigns  his  faults  with  all 
the  fatuity  of  a  simpleton,  what  is  the  confessor  doing? 
Laughing  at  the  simplicity  of  the  penitent,  and  afterwards. 


354  PRESIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

in  the  priestly  orgies  that  follow  a  morning  of  great  con- 
fessions, in  the  hilarity  that  flows  from  wine,  amidst  coarse 
explosions  of  laughter,  they  describe  to  each  other  the 
stupid  folly  of  their  penitents  ;  and  each  priest  vies  with  his 
brother  in  rendering  his  own  penitents  more  ridiculous  than 
the  rest.  To  such  a  degree  is  the  individual  debased  and 
degraded  by  confession."'  —  Ibid.,  pages  395,  397,  403, 
414. 

In  the  Catholic  "  Sunday-School  Manual,"  in  use  in  Bos- 
ton, a  text-book  for  Catholic  children,  the  following  is  found, 
which  gives  a  correct  idea  of  the  early  training  of  Roman 
Catholic  children  :  —  . 

CONFESSION. 

"I  confess  to  Almighty  God,  to  the  blessed  Mary,  ever 
virgin,  to  blessed  Michael  the  archangel,  to  blessed  John 
the  Baptist,  to  the  holy  apostles,  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul, 
and  to  all  the  saints,  that  I  have  sinned  exceedingly  in 
thought,  word,  and  deed,  through  my  fault,  through  my 
fault,  through  my  most  grievous  great  fault.  Therefore  I 
beseech  the  blessed  Mary,  ever  virgin,  blessed  Michael  the 
archangel,  blessed  John  the  Baptist,  the  holy  apostles,  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Paul,  and  all  the  saints  to  pray  to  the  Lord, 
our  God,  for  me.  May  the  Almighty  God  have  mercy  on 
me,  forgive  me  my  sins,  and  bring  me  to  everlasting  life. 
Amen.  May  the  Almighty  and  merciful  Lord  give  me 
pardon,  absolution,  and  remission  of  all  my  sins.  Amen."  — 
Sunday-School  Manual,  page  7. 

u  Q.  What  is  confession?  A.  Confession  is  the  accusation 
of  all  our  sins  to  a  priest,  in  order  to  obtain  absolution  of 
them. — Q.  How  must  we  declare  our  sins?  A  We  must 
declare  their  number,  their  different  species,  and  their  con- 
siderable circumstances.  — Q.  Mast  ice  declare  them  all?  A. 
Yes,  we  must  declare  all ;  for  if  we  were  to  conceal  \vil- 


\M>    rui>  riiGOD.  355 

fully  any  mortal  sin,  we  should  not  obtain  the  remission  of 
any,  and  should,  besides,  commit  a  sacrilege.  .  .  .  Q.  /// 
what  sentiments  should  we  place  ourselves  upon  our  knees  be- 
fore the  priest,  wlien  we  are  going  to  confession?  A.  In  the 
sentiments  of  a  criminal  who  i«  about  to  offer  honorable 
amends  to  God,  v;  I  is  Christ  in  the  person  of  the 

l>iie>t. — Q.  How  might  we  to  begin  our  confession?    A. 
ii_r  mad'    the  siirn  of  the  cross,  we  should  say,  'Bless 
me,  fat  In -i -,  for  I  h:i\c  sinned  ' ;  then  recite  the  '  I  confess  to 
AlinL'hty  <;<>d,'   etc.—  (J.   What  should  ice  do  next  9      A. 
We   should    inform    the    priest    when    we    confessed  last, 
whether  we  then  received  absolution,  and  whether  we  com- 
plied with  th«-  -enjoined.    .    .    .   <>.     \\'/nit  OUf/Jtt  we  to 
do  i'                        st  is  giving  absolution  ?    A.  We  ought  to 
t  of  contrition  with  all  the  fervor  we  are  ca|  a- 
ble  of.     Q.    Wh'tt  is  aljsolution?    A.  It  is  tin-   remission  of 
sins,  which  the  priest  imparts  in  virtue  of  the  power  he 
has  received  from  Christ.  —  <;.    U7/o  <//v  t1n>  j>n'<'*ts  that  can 
exercise  this  powerf    A.  Tliosc  only   who  are  approved  of 
by  the  bishop."  —  Ibid.,  page  47. 

OTDi  i.«.i  \-  i  . 

44  Q.    What  jence?     A.  An   indulgence  is  the 

IT  mission  of  the  temporal  punishment  due  to  sin,  either  in 

lite  or  the  life  to  come.  —  Q.  By  what  power  does  the 

hdgenctst      A.    She    mants   them   by   the 

power  she  baa  received  from  Jesus  Christ.  —  Q.    Whi<h  ?.s 

greatest   indu'yence?    A.  It    is   the   indulgence  of   the 

juliilrr. — Q.  Can  any  one  ap\>bj  indulgences  to  the  souls  in 

purgatory?      A.   Yes;    they  help   them  so   much  the   more 

as  these  souls,  being  confirmed  in  grace,  cannot 

any  obstacle  to  tin  in."  -  Ibid.,  page  50. 

41  Q.    II  l>  •//'/•  <lnl  ///i'  90*1  <>f  our  Saviour  go  after  death? 

A.    His  soul  went  down  into  that  part  of  hell  called   Limbo. 


356  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  Limbo?  A.  I  mean  a  place 

of  rest,  where  the  souls  of  the  saints  were,  —  Q.  And  are 
the  touts  in  purgatory  helped  by  our  prayers?  A,  Yes; 
they  are.  —  Q.  WJtat  do  you  mean  by  purgatory?  A.  A 
middle  state  of  souls,  suffering  for  a  time  on  account  of 
their  sins.  —  Q.  In  what  cases  do  souls  go  to  purgatory? 
A.  When  they  die  in  less  sins,  which  we  call  venial ;  or 
when  they  have  not  satisfied  the  justice  of  God  for  former 
transgressions."  —  Ibid.)  pages  18,  21,  22. 

'This  abridged  history  and  reference  concerning  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  its  rise,  development,  spirit,  tenets,  tradi- 
tion, superstition,  intolerance,  tyranny,  oppression,  and  arro- 
gant assumption  cannot  fail  to  confirm  unto  the  reader  that 
that  church  answers  fully  to  the  predictions  made  by  the 
apostles  as  constituting  the  "  Man  of  Sin,"  the  "Mother 
of  Harlots,"  etc.  It  is  the  institution  as  such  that  we  have 
to  deal  with.  The  early  Protestant  sects  retained  much  of 
the  spirit  and  notions  of  this  mother. 

After  the  establishment  of  the  Church  of  England,  — called 
the  "Established  Church," — all  who  did  not  conform  to  it 
were  denominated  dissenters,  non-conformists,  or  sectarians. 
These  were  required  by  an  act  of  Parliament  to  give  proof  of 
their  conformity  by  subscribing  to  these  words:  "I,  A  B, 
do  humbly  confess  and  acknowledge  that  I  have  grievously 
offended  God,  in  contemning  her  Majesty's  lawful  govern- 
ment and  authority  by  absenting  myself  from  church,  and 
in  using  unlawful  conventicles  and  assemblies  and  pretence 
and  color  of  exercise  of  religion,  and  I  am  heartily  sorry  for 
the  same  ;  and  I  do  acknowledge  and  testify  in  my  conscience 
that  no  person  hath,  or  ought  to  have,  an}'  power  or  authoritv 
over  her  Majesty  ;  and  I  do  promise  that  I  will,  from  time  to 
time,  repair  to  the  church  and  hear  divine  service,  and  do  my 
utmost  endeavor  to  defend  and  maintain  the  same."  In  case 
of  disobedience,  the  offender  was  to  "  abjure  the  realm,"  or 


ri;i;sii>ENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD.  357 

be  treated  as  a  felon  and  "  be  hanged  by  the  neck  till  he 
w:i>  <K -ad."  —  COBBETT'S  Legacy  to  Parsons,  page  62. 

No  wonder  these  dissenters,  Independents,  Baptists, 
(Quakers,  Puritans,  fled  to  the  New  World  to  find  a  resting- 
place,  and  enjoy  that  freedom  of  person  and  conscience  that 
nature  and  revelation  bequeath  to  man.  An  American, 
born  in  this  free  land,  where  none  dare  question  his  right  of 
liberty  and  conscience,  can  scarcely  understand  how  such  a 
condition  of  tilings  could  exist  as  the  intolerance  and  per- 
seeufm;.;  >pirit  manifested  by  Koinan  Catholics  towards 
1'roh ->tant>,  and  Protestants  towards  each  other.  Chief 
amoiiLT  tin-  things  that  ought  to  swell  every  American  heart 
\\ith  gratitude  to  God  is  the  blessing  of  freedom  and  liberty 
of  person  and  conscience  expressed  by  the  grand  old  flag  of 
the  country,  wherever  it  waves,  to  each  and  every  citizen, 
whatever  may  be  his  religious  proclivities.  God  bless  our 
land,  our  Hag,  and  our  nation,  that  undimnied,  unsullied,  and 
unbroken  they  may  be  handed  down  to  generations  unborn 
as  Hi.  IK  IM  >t  legacy  ever  bequeathed  to  posterity,  wrought 
out  by  the  hand  of  ( iod  and  the  diligence  of  our  fathers,  and 
bestowed  upon  u>.  He  is  no  proper  Christian  who  is  not  a 
friend  to  such  a  country. 

All  conservative,  thoughtful,  and  fair-minded  men  incline 
to  lament  over  much  that  occurs  in  the  pedigree  of  even 
Protestant  churches,  for  the  intolerance  and  unchristian 
demeanor  manifest  one  towards  another,  rather  than  praise 
it.  k%  We  all  of  us,  ladies  and  gentlemen  "  (says  Mr.  Mead) , 
"have  a  rather  mixed  and  impure  religious  pedigree;  we 
have  all,  at  times,  I  fear,  been  miserable  sinners.  Church 
Of  Kngland  people  cannot  be  very  proud  of  Henry  VIII.,  of 
sundry  proceedings  on  the  part  of  Archbishop  Whitgift,  of 
general  moral  condition  of  the  church  at  the  time  of  the 
Wesleyan  revival,  of  the  system  of  church  l  livings/  of  the 
•hat  a  lot  of  their  bishops  to-day  derive  large  revenues 


358  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

from  the  rents  of  grog-shops,  of  the  perversions  and  extrava- 
gances of  doctrines  which  have  obtained  and  obtain  to-day 
in  large  sections  of  the  church.  The  New  England  Congre- 
gationalist  is  not  proud  of  the  dealings  with  the  Quakers  and 
Baptists  and  witches  on  the  part  of  his  ancestors,  though  his 
ancestors  were  no  worse  in  this  than  other  people  at  the  time. 
The  Boston  Unitarian  is  not  very  proud,  I  take  it,  of  the 
attitude  of  his  father  toward  Emerson  and  Theodore  Pnrker. 
But  the  Roman  Catholic  is  haunted  to  a  much  greater  extent 
than  other  people  by  the  hobgoblin  of  consistency ;  his  whole 
theory  of  his  miraculously  inspired  and  guided  and  shielded 
church*compels  an  excessive  anxiety  to  show  a  good  record. 
But,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  record  is  very  streaked  and 
speckled." — The  Roman  Catholic  Church- and  the  School 
Question,  pages  26,  27. 

The  following  is  in  relation  to  a  dispensation  being  ex- 
tended by  Martin  Luther  and  others  to  the  Landgrave  of 
Hesse,  in  granting  him, the  privilege  to  marry  a  second  wife 
while  the  first  wife  was  still  living.  It  is  addressed,  "  To 
the  mo^t  serene  prince  and  lord,  Philip,  Landgrave  of  Hesse, 
Count  of  Calzenburbogen,  of  Diets,  of  Ziegenhain  andNidda* 
our  gracious  lord,  we  wish  above  all  things  the  grace  of  God 
through  Jesus  Christ. 

41 1.  We  have  been  informed  by  Bucer,  and  in  the  in- 
structions which  your  Highness  gave  him  have  read  the 
troubled  mind  and  uneasiness  of  conscience  your  Highness 
is  under  at  this  present ;  and  although  it  seemed  to  us  very 
difficult  so  speedily  to  answer  the  doubts  proposed,  neverthe- 
less, we  could  not  permit  the  said  Bucer,  who  was  urgent  for 
his  return  to  your  Highness,  to  go  away  without  an  answer  in 
writing.  ..." 

44  III.  Your  Highness  is  not  ignorant  how  great  need  our 
poor,  miserable,  little,  and  abandoned  church  stands  in,  of 
virtuous  princes  and  rulers  to  protect  her ;  and  we  doubt 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD.  359 

not  but  God  will  always  supply  her  with  some  such,  although 
from  time  to  time  he  threatens  to  deprive  her  of  them,  and 
proves  her  by  sundry  temptations. 

M  IV.  These  things  seem  to  us  of  greatest  importance; 
your  Highness,  sullieiently  of  yourself,  comprehends  the  dif- 
ference there  is  betwixt  settling  an  universal  law  and  using 
(for  urgent  reasons  and  with  (lod's  permission)  a  dispensa- 
tion in  a  particular  cage  ;  for  it  is  otherwise  evident  that  no 
dispensation  can  take  [.lace  against  the  first  of  all  laws,  the 
divine  law. 

••  V.  We  eaimot  at  present  advise  to  introduce  publicly, 
and  establish  as  a  law  in  the  New  Testament  that  of  the 
Old,  which  permitted  to  have  more  wives  than  one.  Your 
Highness  is  sensible,  should  any  such  thing  be  printed,  that 
it  would  be  takcli  for  a  precept,  whence  infinite  troubles  and 
M-andals  would  ari>e.  We  beg  your  Highness  to  consider 
the  d.-. niters  a  man  would  be  exposed  unto,  who  should  be 
convicted  of  ha\  ing  brought  into  Germany  such  a  law,  which 
would  divide  families  and  involve  them  in  endless  strifes  and 
disturbances. 

k4  VI.  As  to  the  objection  that  may  be  made,  that  what 
i-  just  in  God's  sight  ought  absolutely  to  be  permitted,  it 
mn>t  be  answered  in  this  manner:  If  that  which  is  just 
before  God,  besides  commanded  and  necessary,  the  objec- 
tion is  true  ;  if  it  be  neither  necessary  nor  commanded,  other 
circumstances,  before  it  be  permitted,  must  be  attended  to; 
and  to  come  to  the  question  in  hand;  God  hath  instituted 
marriage  to  be  a  society  of  two  persons  and  no  more,  sup- 
posing Nature  were  not  corrupted;  and  this  is  the  sense  of 
the  text  of  Genesis,  4  There  shall  be  two  in  one  flesh,'  and 
this  was  observed  at  the  beginning." 

"  IX.     In  certain  cases,  however,  there  is  room  for  dispen- 

n.      For  example,  if  a  married  man,  detained  captive  in 

a  distant  country,  should  there  take  a  second  wife,  ...  we 


360  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

see  not  how  we  could  condemn,  in  these  cases,  such  a  man, 
.  .  .  provided  it  was  not  with  a  design  of  introducing  a  new 
law,  but  with  an  eye  only  to  his  own  particular  necessities. 

UX.  Since,  then,  the  introduction  of  a  new  law,  and  the 
using  a  dispensation  with  respect  to  the  same  law,  are  two 
very  different  things,  we  entreat  your  Highness  to  take  what 
follows  into  consideration. 

"In  the  first  place,  above  all  things,  care  must  be  taken 
that  plurality  of  wives  be  not  introduced  into  the  world  by 
way  of  law,  lor  every  man  to  follow  as  he  thinks  fit.  In  the 
second  place,  may  it  please  your  Highness  to  reflect  on  the 
dismal  scandal  which  would  not  fail  to  happen  if  occasion  be 
given  to  the  enemies  of  the  Gospel  to  exclaim  that  we  are  like 
the  Anabaptists,  who  have  several  wives  at  once,  and  the 
Turks,  who  take  as  many  wives  as  they  are  able  to  maintain.9' 

"  XVI.  We  also  beg  your  Highness  not  to  entertain  a 
notion  that  the  use  of  women  out  of  marriage  is  but  a  light 
and  trifling  fault,  as  the  world  is  used  lo  imagine  ;  since  God 
hath  often  chastised  impurity  with  the  most  severe  punish- 
ments. 

"XVII.  We  have  related  these  passages,  to  the  end  that 
your  Highness  may  consider  seriously  that  God  looks  not  on 
the  vice  of  impurity  as  a  laughing  matter,  as  is  supposed 
by  those  audacious  libertines  who  entertain  heathenish  no- 
tions on  this  object  We  are  pleased  to  find  that  your  High- 
ness is  troubled  with  remorse  of  conscience  for  these  dis- 
orders. ..." 

"  XVIII.  .  .  .  And  if  }Tour  Highness,  after  marrying  a 
second  wife,  were  not  to  forsake  those  licentious  disorders, 
the  remedy  proposed  would  be  to  no  purpose.  .  .  .  Remem- 
ber that  God  has  given  you  a  numerous  issue  of  such  beautiful 
children  of  both  sexes  by  the  princess,  your  wife,  that  you 
have  reason  to  be  satisfied  therewith.  How  many  others,  in 
marriage,  are  obliged  to  the  exercise  and  practice  of  patience 


1  KKSIDENCY   AND    PRIESTHOOD.  361 

from  the  motive  only  of  avoiding  scandal.  We  are  far  from 
urging  on  your  Highness  to  introduce  so  difficult  a  novelty 
into  your  family.  ..." 

I  \ .  As  to  what  your  Highness  says,  that  it  is  not 
po»iMe  for  you  to  attain  from  this  impure  life,  we  wish 
you  were  in  a  better  state  before  God.  .  .  . 

44  XX  I.     lint  after  all,  if  your  Holiness  is  fully  resolved  to 

marry  a  second  wife,  we  jiMuy  it  on-lit  to  l>e  done  secretly, 

.    that  hour  hut   the  person  you  shall  wed  and  a 

few    trusty   persons   know  of   the   matter,   and   they,  too, 

obliged  to   -..!. -y  under  the   seal  of  eonfesMon.      Hence  no 

••lion  nor  scandal  of  moment  is  to  be  apprehended  ;  for 

it  i-  lordinary  thing  for  primes  to  keep  concubines; 

though  the  vul«rar  should  he   scandalized   thereat,  the 

intelligent  would  doubt  of  the  truth,  and  prudent  per- 

>ons  ui.uld  approxe  of   tlii-  BOdei*tfl  Kind  of  life,  preferable 

to  adultery  and  other  brutal  actions.     There  is  no  need  of 

being  much  concerned  for  what  men  will  say,  provided  all 

goes  right  with  conscience.     So  far  we  do  approve  it,  and 

in  those  circumstances  only  by  us  specified  ;  for  the  gospel 

hath  neither  recalled   nor  forbid  what  was  permitted  in  the 

law  of  Moses  with  respect  to  marriage.    .    .    . 

XXII.      Your  Hiirhnos  hath  therefore,  in  this  writing, 
notonlv  the  approbation  of  us  all,  in  ease  of  necessity,  con- 
ing what  you  desire,  but  also  the  reflections  we  have 

thereupon.    ..." 

41 XX IV.  .  .  .  .May  (iod  preserve  your  Highness.  We 
are  most  ready  to  serve  your  Highness.  Given  at  ^Vitten- 
berg,  the  Wednesday  after  the  feast  of  St.  Nicholas,  1539." 

Signed, 

44  MARTIN  LUTHER.  Pmi.ir  MKI.AN<TIIM\. 

MARTIN  Mi  •  ANTONY  COUVIN. 

AI.AM.  .Jons    Si  \i\.,i  i  . 

JUSTUS  \Y<MI  II.-M.          hi  si-  Mi  i  \s  i  in  i:." 


362  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

This  writing  was  in  Melancthon's  handwriting,  as  attested 
by  George  Nuspicker,  notary. 

Then  follows  "  The  Marriage  Contract  of  Philip,  Land- 
grave of  Hesse,  with  Margaret  de  Staal.  In  the  name  o-f 
God,  Amen. 

"Be  it  known  to  all  those,  as  well  in  general  as  in  partic- 
ular, who  shall  see,  hear,  or  read  this  public  instrument,  that 
in  the  year  1540,  on  Wednesday,  .  .  .  his  Highness  declares 
that  his  will  is  to  wed  the  said  Lady  Margaret  de  Staal, 
although  the  princess,  his  wife,  is  still  living,  and  that  this 
action  may  not  be  imputed  to  inconstancy  or  curiosity,  to 
avoid  scandal  and  maintain  the  honor  of  said  lady,  and  the 
reputation  of  her  kindred,  his  Highness  makes  oath  here 
before  God,  and  upon  his  soul  and  conscience,  that  lie  takes 
her  to  wife  through  no  levity  nor  curiosity,  nor  from  any 
contempt  of  laws  or  superiors  ;  but  that  he  is  obliged  to  it  by 
such  important,  such  inevitable,  necessities  of  body  and  con- 
science, that  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  save  either  body  or 
soul  without  adding  another  wife  to  his  first.  .  .  .  The  same 
cause  and  the  same  necessity  have  obliged  the  most  serene 
princess,  Christia,  Duchess  of  Saxony,  his  Highness's  first 
lawful  wife,  out  of  her  great  prudence  and  sincere  devotion 
for  which  she  is  so  much  to  be  commended,  freely  to  consent 
and  admit  of  a  partner,  to  the  end  that  the  soul  and  body  of 
her  most  dear  spouse  may  run  no  further  risk,  and  the  glory 
of  God  increased,  as  the  deed  written  with  the  princess's 
own  hand  sufficiently  testifies.  ..."  Signed,  "  Balthasor 
Rand,  of  Fuld,  notary  public  imperial." — History  of  the 
Variations  of  the  Protestant  Churches,  pages  205-218. 

Those  who  desire  many  wives  can  get  but  little  consolation 
from  the  above  transaction,  as  a  precedent.  Neither  docs  it 
give  warrant  to  the  sentiment,  now  current  somewhat,  that 
Luther  favored  the  theory  of  having  many  wives.  The  docu- 
ment, taken  as  a  whole,  is  rather  against  it.  A  vile  prince, 


AND    PRIESTHOOD.  363 

the  friend  of  Luther,  compelled  the  granting  to  him,  at  the 
loss  of  his  patronage,  a  dispensation  to  take  another  wife 
while  his  first  was  alive.  This  is  the  truth  in  the  case.  We 
have  Driven  extensive  extracts  from  this  long  document  on 
purpose  to  correct  what  appears  to  us  a  popular  error. 
Honor  to  whom  honor  is  due,  should  be  the  sentiment  of  every 
honest  man. 

BAPTISM. 

Baptized  is  from  the  Greek  word  baptistJieis.  It  is  not  a 
translation,  but  is  transferred,  with  an  English  termination. 
ft'ijitize  is  from  the  ( I  reek  word  baptizo,  anglicized  or  English- 
i/ed,  and  means,  when  used  in  connection  with  the  ordinance 
of  baptism,  immersion.  Says  Richard  Fuller:  "  Never  was 
then-  a  word  the  meaning  of  which  was  more  clear  and  pre- 
cise." Again  :  "  The  question  before  us,  then,  is  this  :  What 
does  baptizo  mean?  I  answer,  it  means  immerse.  It  no 
more  means  to  pour,  or  sprinkle,  than  it  means  to  fly." 

I  Vim  \<   I      FROM     GREEK    WRITERS. 

Ileraclides  Ponticus  (Allegor.,  page  495)  :  "  When  a  piece 
of  iron  is  taken  red-hot  from  the  fire,  and  is  clipped  [original, 
b'tjitizwl']  in  water,  the  heat,  being  quenched  by  the  peculiar 
nature  of  the  water,  ceases." 

The  Greek  Scholiast,  on  Aratus,  Vol.  V.,  page  951  : 
"  The  crow  often  dips  [baptizes]  herself  from  the  head  to 
the  top  of  the  shoulders  in  the  river." 

Alcibiades,  in  Jacob's  Anthol,  Vol.  XI.,  page  49,  note: 
"  And  I,  plunging  [baptizing']  you  in  the  waves  of  the 
sea,  will  destroy  you  in  the  briny  surges." 

Anacreon,  in  his  ode  on  Love  in  the  Heart:  "Finding 
Cupid  among  the  flowers,  I  caught  him  and  plunged  [baptized'] 
him  into  wine,  and  drank  him  up." 

"  Baptizo  always  denotes  a  total  immersion.  If  only  a 
part  of  a  thing  be  immersed,  still  it  is  an  entire  immersion  of 


364  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

that  part,  and  the  context  limits  its  extent.  Thus,  Polybius, 
Vol.  III.,  page  72:  'The  foot-soldiers  passed  through  [the 
waters]  scarcely  immersed  [baptized]  to  the  paps.'  " 

VIEWS    OF   EMINENT    AUTHORS    ON   THIS    SUBJECT. 

"  Luther  :  '  Baptism  is  a  Greek  word,  and  may  be  translated 
immersion,  as  when  we  immerse  something  in  water,  that  it 
may  be  wholly  covered.  And  although  it  is  almost  wholly 
abolished  (for  they  do  not  wholly  dip  the  children,  but  only 
pour  a  little  water  on  them),  they  ought,  nevertheless,  to  be 
wholly  immersed,  and  then  immediately  drawn  out ;  for  that 
the  etymology  of  the  word  seems  to  demand.'  " 

"  Beza  :  *  Christ  commanded  us  to  be  baptized  ;  by  which 
word,  it  is  certain,  immersion  is  signified.  Baptizesthai,  in 
this  place,  is  more  than  niptein;  because  that  seems  to  re- 
spect the  whole  body,  this  only  the  hands.  Nor  does  baptizein 
signify  to  wash,  except  by  consequence  ;  for  it  properly  sig- 
nifies to  immerse  for  the  sake  of  dyeing.  To  be  baptized  in 
water  signifies  no  other  than  to  be  immersed  in  water,  which 
is  the  external  ceremony  of  baptism.  Baptizo  differs  from  the 
verb  dunai,  which  signifies  to  plunge  in  the  deep  and  to 
drown.'" 

"  Vitringa :  '  The  act  of  baptizing  is  the  immersion  of 
believers  in  water.  This  expresses  the  force  of  the  word. 
Thus  also  it  was  performed  by  Christ  and  the  apostles.' " 

"  Hospinianus :  *  Christ  commanded  us  to  be  baptized; 
by  which  word  it  is  certain  immersion  is  signified.' " 

"  Salmasius  :  l  Baptism  is  immersion,  and  was  administered 
in  former  times,  according  to  the  force  and  meaning  of  that 
word.'  " 

"  Brenner :  '  The  word  [baptism]  corresponds  in  significa- 
tion with  the  German  word  taufen,  to  sink  into  the  deep.'" 
"  Bretschneider :    'An    entire  immersion   belongs   to   the 


PRESIDENCY    AND   PUIKSTHOOD.  3G5 

nature  of  baptism.'  4  This  is  the  meaning  of  the  word.'  4  In 
the  words  baptizo  and  baptisma  is  contained  the  idea  of  a 
complete  immersion  under  water ;  at  least,  so  is  baptisma  in 
the  New  Testament/" 

••  Iiheinard,  Ethics,  Vol.  V.  page  79  :  *  In  sprinkling,  the 
syml>olieal  meaning  of  the  ordinanee  is  wholly  lost.'" 

44  Scholtz,  on  Matt.  iii.  C:  *  Baptism  consists  in  the  im- 
mersion of  the  \\holr  body  in  wat. 

"Neander,  in  his  tetter  to  ./'/</'/ :  4  As  to  your  question 
on  the  original  riteof  baptism,  there  <-:in   be   no    doubt   what- 
that,  in  the  primitive  times,  it  was  performed  by  immer- 
sion, to  signify  a  complete  immersion  into  the  nv\v  principle 
of  t:  life,  which  was  to  lie  imparted  l>y  the  Messiah.'  " 

—  Kn-n\i;i.   Fi  ii  -ritual  Baptism,  pages  21,  23-27. 

Again:  44  In  commanding  his  disciples  to  be  baptized, 
Jesus  knew  what  aet  he  enjoined,  and  he  could  have  been  at 
no  loss  for  a  word  clearly  to  express  his  meaning.  Did  he 
int.  nd  sprinklinyt  the  word  was  rantizo.  Did  he  require 
pouring f  the  word  was  keo.  If  ?/</N//,  >///>o;  if  bathe,  lono; 
if  immerse  or  dye  (the  word  having  this  latter  meaning,  be- 
cause dyeing  is  by  immei^ini:),  lmj>tf>.  If  Jesus  meant 
immerse,  and  nothiwj  else,  the  word  was  baptize.  This  is  the 
word  he  has  used,  and  which  the  Holy  Spirit  always  employs 
when  the  rite  of  baptism  is  mentioned."  —  Ibid.,  page  36. 

.Iosephn>,  who  was  contemporary  with  the  apostles,  says  : 
4  Our  vessel  being  sunk  [baptized]  in  the  midst  of  the 
Adriatic,  we  swam  all  ni_rht,  until  the  break  of  day,  when 
we  discovered  a  vessel  of  Cyrene,  and  myself  with  certain 
others,  to  the  number  of  eighty,  were  taken  on  board.'*1 
(Ant.  of  the  Jews,  9,  10,  2.)  —  //>"/.,  page  39. 

44  In  The  Jetoith  War,  II.  20,  1,  he  says:  4  After  Cestius 
was  overthrown,  many  of  the  most  eminent  of  the  Jews 
swam  away  from  the  city  as  from  a  ship  that  is  being  sunk 
[baptized].9  The  same.  III.  7.  :.  :  '  I  should  esteem  that  pilot 


366  PRESIDENCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

to  be  an  arrant  coward,  who,  out  of  fear  of  storm,  should 
sink  [baptize]  his  vessel  of  his  own  accord.'  The  same,  III. 
10,  9,  describing  an  engagement  between  the  Jews  and 
Romans,  he  says :  c  If  the  Jews  ventured  to  come  near  the 
Romans,  they  were  sunk  [baptized],  together  with  the  ships 
themselves/"  —  Ibid.,  page  40. 

"Olshausen,  Vol.  II.,  page  101,  says:  '  John  baptized  at 
Enon,  because  there  was  deep  water  there,  convenient  for 
immersion.'"  —  Ibid.,  page  77. 

"  Bloom  field  : '  There  is  here  [Rom.  iv.]  plainly  a  reference 
to  the  ancient  mode  of  baptism  by  immersion  ;  and  I  agree 
with  Koppe  and  Rosenmiiller,  that  there  is  reason  to  regret 
it  should  have  been  abandoned  in  most  Christian  churches, 
especially  as  it  has  so  evident  a  reference  to  the  mystic 
sense  of  baptism.' " —  Ibid  ,  page  89. 

"  Epictetus  (about  A.  D.  68),  Dissert.,  Vol.  Ill,  page  69, 
says  :  '  As  you  would  not  wish  to  sail  in  a  large  and  finely 
ornamented  vessel  and  be  sunk  [baptized],  so  neither  would 
you  choose  to  live  in  a  large  and  richly  furnished  house 
and  be  in  a  storm.'" — Ibid.,  page  41. 

"  Rosenmiiller  (on  the  passage)  :  '  Immersion  in  the  water 
of  baptism,  and  coming  forth  out  of  it,  was  a  symbol  of  a 
person's  renouncing  his  former  life,  and,  on  the  contrary, 
beginning  a  new  one.  On  account  of  this  emblematical 
meaning  of  baptism,  the  rite  of  immersion  ought  to  have  been 
retained  in  the  Christian  church.'  " — Ibid.,  page  89. 

u  Prof.  Stuart  says  :  '  Thirteen  hundred  years  was  bap- 
tism generally  and  ordinarily  performed  by  the  immersion 
of  a  man  under  water ;  and  only  in  extraordinary  cases 
was  sprinkling  or  effusion  permitted.  These  latter  methods 
of  baptism  were  called  in  question,  and  even  prohibited.'  "  — 
Ibid.,  page  109. 


IIMHI'KNCY    AND   PRIESTHOOD.  367 


BAPTISM    BY    IMMERSION    IN    WATER    FROM    AN    HISTORICAL 
STAND-POINT. 

Yitringa:  — 

4 'The  act  of  baptizing  is  the  immersion  of  believers  in 
\\atn.  This  expresses  the  force  of  the  word.  Thus  also 
it  was  performed  by  Christ  and  his  apostles." — Aphor. 

^anct.  Aphoris,  884. 
iviii:  — 

11  I'.aptism  resembles  a  legal  instrument  properly  attested, 
by  whirh  IK-  assures  us  that  all  our  sins  are  cancelled, 
efface' 1,  an<l  obliterated,  so  th:it  they  will  never  appear  iu 
His  sight,  or  come  into  His  remembrance,  or  be  imputed 
unto  us.  For  He  commands  all  who  believe  to  be  baptized 
<ion  of  their  sins.  Therefore  those  who  have 
imagined  that  baptism  is  nothing  more  than  a  mark  or  sign 
by  whirli  we  profess  our  religion  before  men,  as  soldiers 
wear  the  insignia  of  their  sovereign  as  a  mark  of  their  pro- 
fession, have  not  considered  the  principal  thing  in  baptism  ; 
which  is,  that  we  ought  to  receive  it  with  this  promise,  '  He 
that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved.11'  —Inst.  1,  4, 
n:>,  page  827. 

John   Wesley,    in  his  comment  on  the  New  Testament, 

:  — 

44  Baptism  administered  to  real  penitents  is  both  a  means 
and  a  seal  of  pardon.  Nor  did  God  ordinarily  in  the  primi- 
tive church  bestow  this  [pardon]  on  any,  unless  through  this 
means."  —  Page  35. 

Venema :  — 

"  It  is  without  controversy  that  baptism  in  the  primitive 

church  was  administered  by  immersion  into  water,  and  not 

prinkling.     The  essential  act  of  baptizing,  in  the  second 

century,  consisted,  not  in  sprinkling,  but  in  immersion  in 

water,  in  the  name  of  each  person  in  the  Trinity.     Concern- 


368  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

ing  immersion,  the  words  and  phrases  that  are  used  suffi- 
ciently testify  ;  and  that  it  was  performed  in  a  river,  a  pool, 
or  a  fountain.  To  the  essential  rite  of  baptism,  in  the  third 
century,  pertained  immersion,  and  not  aspersion,  except  in 
cases  of  necessity,  and  it  was  accounted  a  half-perfect  bap- 
tism. Immersion,  in  the  fourth  century,  was  one  of  those 
acts  that  were  considered  as  essential  to  baptism  ;  neverthe- 
less, aspersion  was  used  in  the  last  moments  of  life,  on  such 
as  were  called  clinics,  and  also,  where  there  was  not  suffi- 
cient quantity  of  water."  —  History  Eccles.  SecuL,  I.  §  138, 
etc. 

Bingham,  in  his  Antiquities,  says  :  — 

"  Baptism  was  administered  by  immersion  ;  and  no  men- 
tion is  made  of  any  other  mode  till  the  middle  of  the  third 
century." 

Mosheim  says  :  — 

"  The  sacrament  of  baptism  was  administered  in  this  cen- 
tury without  the  public  assemblies  in  places  appointed  and 
prepared  for  that  purpose,  and  was  performed  by  an  immer- 
sion of  the  whole  body  in  the  baptismal  font."-  —  First  Cen- 
tury, IV.  8. 

Tertullian  writes,  in  the  second  century  :  — 

"  We,  after  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ,  are  born  in  water. 
.  .  .  The  act  of  baptism  itself  is  carnal,  in  that  we  are 
plunged  in  water ;  but  the  effect  is  spiritual,  in  that  we  are 
freed  from  sins." —  On  Baptism,  Chaps.  I  and  VII. 

Calvin,  in  his  Institutes,  says  :  — 

"  The  word  baptizo  [baptize]  signifies  to  immerse,  and  the 
rite  of  immersion  was  performed  by  the  ancient  church." 

John  Wesley,  on  Rom.  vi.  4,  says  "  that  Paul  in  his  text 
refers  to  immersion,  which  was  the  mode  of  baptism  practised 
in  the  primitive  church." 

Salmasius,  a  French  theological  teacher  in  Germany,  says 
in  his  work,  page  6G9  :  — 


n:i>ll»ENCY    AND    1'KIKSTllOOD.  369 

44  Baptism  is  immersion,  and  was  administered  in  former 
times  according  to  the  force  and  meaning  of  the  word."  — 
Sixteenth  Century. 

Prof.  Charles  Anthon,  of  New  York,  said  in  a  letter  to 
Dr.  K.  1'armeley,  Maid.  i'7,  1843:  — 

"The  primary  meaning  of  the  word  [baptizo]  is  to  dip 
or  immerse.  .  .  .  Sprinkling,  etc.,  are  entirely  out  of  the 
question." 

Smith,  in  his  /><  <>f  tlie  Bible,  says:  — 

44  Baptism  properly  and  literally  means  immersion." 

!M  ANT    HAITI-  M. 

44  M.  De  la  Roque:  'The  primitive  church  did  not  baptize 
infants  ;  and  the  learned  C.irotius  proves  it,  in  his  annotations 
on  the  Gospel.'"  —  Scriptural  BCJ  /'<  -.age  224. 

•  In  :!i  I;  ..man  Catholic  Manual  oj  Controversy  we  have 
the  following  <|iic>ti«)ii  and  answer:  — 

»<{.      I'.ut  why  should  not  the  Scripture  alone  be  the  rule 
of  our  faith,    without   ha  vim:    in  .>ui>e  to  apostolical  tradi- 


4kfcA.  Because  infant  bapti-m  and  several  other  neces- 
sary articles  are  either  not  at  all  contained  in  Scripture,  or 

ast,  are  not  plain  in  Scripture,  without  the  help  of  tradi- 
tion.'"  —  /Wd.,  pages  223,  2iM. 

^  /  nj  of  Baptism,  page  11  :  'There  is  not  a 

single  example  to  he  found  in  the  New  Testament  where 
infants  were'  bapti/cd.  In  household  baptism,  there  was 
always  ivferenee  to  the  gospels  having  Jjeen  received.  The 
New  Testament  presents  just  as  good  grounds  for  infant 
communion.  Therefore,  learned  men  (such  as  Salmasius, 
Arnold,  Louis  de  Yivcs,  Suicer,  and  W.  Strabo)  have 
regarded  both  infant  baptism  and  infant  communion  as  an 
innovation  introduced  since  the  apostolic  times.  The  con- 

•>a  of  infant  baptism  with  circumcision  deserves  no  con- 


370  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

sideration,  since  there  were  physical  reasons  for  circumcising 
in  infancy.'  "  —  Ibid.,  page  208. 

In  regard  to  infant  baptism,  Luther  says  :  — 

u  It  cannot  be  proved  by  the  sacred  Scriptures  that  infant 
baptism  was  instituted  by  Christ,  or  begun  by  the  first 
Christians  after  the  apostles."  * 

Chambers :  — 

"It  appears  that  in  the  primitive  times  none  were  bap- 
tized but  adults."  I 

Curcellaeus :  — 

"The  baptism  of  infants,  in  the  first  two  centuries  after 
Christ,  was  altogether  unknown  ;  but  in  the  third  and  fourth 
was  allowed  by  some  few.  In  the  fifth,  and  following  ages, 
it  was  generally  received.  The  custom  of  baptizing  infants 
did  not  begin  before  the  third  age  after  Christ  was  born.  In 
the  former  ages  no  trace  of  it  appears,  and  it  was  introduced 
without  the  command  of  Christ."  \ 

Neander :  — 

ult  cannot  possibly  be  proved  that  infant  baptism  was 
practised  in  the  apostolic  age.  Its  late  introduction,  the 
opposition  it  met  with  in  the  second  century,  rather  speak 
against  an  apostolic  origin."  § 

LAYING    ON    OF    HANDS    FOR   THE    RECEIVING    OF    THE    HOLY 
SPIRIT. 

Tertullian,  A.  D.  200  (De  Bapt.,  Chap.  VI.)  :  - 
"  After  baptism,  the  hand  is  imposed  by  blessing,  and  call- 
ing and  inviting  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  willingly  descends 
from  the  Father  on  the  bodies  that  are  cleansed  and  blessed." 
Further  upon  this,  in  Chap.  VIII.,  he  says :  — 


*  In  A.  R.'s  Vanity  of  Infant  Baptism,  Part  II.  page  8. 

f  Cyclopaedia,  art.  Baptism. 

%  Institut.  Relig. -Christ. 

§  Apost.  Age,  Vol.  I.,  page  140. 


Pi:i ->ll>l   N<  \     AM)    I'KII-STHOOD.  371 

M  It  is  the  fleshly  or  outward  act  of  baptism  that  we  are 
dipp»  .1  in  water;  tin-  spiritual  effects  that  we  are  freed  from 
our  sins.  Then  follows  hiving  on  of  hands,  the  dispenser 
in\  iting  the  Spirit  of  God  by  prayer;  and,  bring  cleansed  by 
baptismal  water,  we  are  disposed  for  the  Holy  Spirit  under 
tin-  hands  of  the  ani:«-l  of  the  church." 

aking  concerning  the  order  and  state  of  the  church  at 
thi>  e:,rly  time,  after  the  death  of  the  apostles,  he  says  (De 

,::!..    XXXVI.)   I- 

•he  believeth  in  <;<>d.  .sin-  signs  with  water  (that  is,  bap- 
ti/.<  i  lothes  with  the  spirit  (viz.,  by  the  imposition  of 

hands),  !s    \\ith     the     Kueharist    (a<lministers     the 

emblem>  <>f  the  I.or»l's  body),  and  exhorts  to  martyrdom  (to 
faithfulness,  and  the  Keeping  of  the  law  of  (iod  even  unto 
death),  and  again>t  this  order  or  institution  she  receives  no 
man." 

Kiisrbiu-,  IK, i    the  pope  of   that  name,  but  Eusebius  Pam- 
philns,  who  lived  about  tliree   hundred  \  ears  after  Christ,  in 
i  \  II.,  (hap.  II.  ),  certifies  that:  — 

•  •iving  memliers  into  the  church 
was  with  prayer  and  the  laying  on  of  hands." 

Again  he  says  (Hook  VI.,  Chap.  XXVI.)  :- 

"Thai  OD6  Novatius  being  sick  was  baptized,  if  it  may  be 
ealled  a  baptism  which  he  received,  for  he  obtained  not  after 
his  recovery  that  which  he  should  have  clone  by  the  canon  of 
the  church,  to  wit,  confirmation  by  the  hands  of  the  bishop, 
which  having  not  obtained,  how  can  .he  be  supposed  to  have 
received  the  Holy  Spirit?" 

This  was  about  the  year  260. 

\\   :      these    I    might  also  cite   Mosheim's  u  Church  His- 
.1.    I.,  page  91;  and  Gahan's  "Church  History," 

prian.  in  A.  1).  :>:><),  and  against  whom  none  will  bring 
an   accusation,   in    his    seventy-third   letter,  when    referring 


372  PRESIDENCY    AND    PHIESTHOOD. 

to  the  fact  of  the  apostles  going  to  Samaria  to  confirm  those 
that  Philip  had  baptized,  says  :  — 

"  Which  custom  is  also  descended  to  us,  that  they  who  are 
baptized  might  be  brought  by  the  rules  of  the  church,  and  by 
prayer  of  imposition  of  hands  to  obtain  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Again  in  Epistle  72  :  — 

"  It  is  of  no  purpose  to  lay  hands  on  them  to  receive  the 
Holy  Spirit,  unless  they  receive  the  baptism  of  the  church." 

Augustine,  of  the  fourth  century,  writes  :  — 

"  Still  we  do  what  the  apostles  did,  when  they  laid  their 
hands  on  the  Samaritans  and  called  down  the  Holy  Ghost 
upon  them." 

Mosheim  says,  in  his  history  :  — 

"  After  baptism  they  by  prayer  and  the  laying  on  of  hands 
were  solemnly  recommended  to  the  mere}'  of  God  and  dedi- 
cated to  his  service." — First  Century,  Part  II.,  Chap.  IV., 
verse  13. 

Cyprian,  who  lived  in  the  third  century >  says  :  — 

u  Those  who  have  been  dipped  abroad  outside  the  church 
and  have  been  stained  among  heretics  and  schismatics,  when 
they  come  to  us  and  to  the  church  ought  to  be  baptized,  for 
the  reason  that  it  is  a  small  matter  (that  is,  of  no  value)  to 
lay  hands  on  them  that  they  may  receive  the  Holy  Ghost, 
unless  they  receive  also  the  baptism  of  the  church."  — 
Epistle  71. 

Mosheim  says : — 

"  For  many  of  the  first  Christians  were  no  sooner  baptized 
according  to  Christ's  appointment,  and  dedicated  to  the  ser- 
vice of  God  by  solemn  prayer  and  the  imposition  of  hands, 
than  they  spoke  in  languages  they  had  never  known  or 
learned  before  ;  foretold  future  events,  healed  the  sick  by 
pronouncing  the  name  of  Jesus,  restored  the  dead  to  life, 
and  performed  many  things  above  the  reach  of  human 
power."—  First  Century,  Part  I.,  Chap.  IV.,  verse  9. 


Pl:l.MI»KNCir    AND    J'KI  I>T11OO1 ).  373 


MANUSCKIIT  iomn>,  ra   mi.  BPAULDINO  KOMANCE. 

Those  opposed  to  the   claims  of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon" 
have  for  many  years  been  asserting  that  the   "Romance  of 

ncii  Spauldin-j;  "  furnislied  the  plot  for  that  book. 
They  confidently  avow  it  to  have  been  the  prime  source  from 
which  it  emanated.  This  opinion  has  been  urged  upon  the 
people  as  being  well  founded.  It,  lias  found  its  way  into 
standard  works,  written  by  reputable  authors.  There  seems 
to  lia\e  been  an  effort  to  make  it  an  historical  fact,  over 
the  protest  of  those  who  knew  the  claim  to  be  fraudulent. 
It  has  been  inserted  and  enlarged  upon  in  our  encyelopa-- 
BTS,  denominational  histories,  etc.,  so  as  to 
mislead  the  innocent  parties  in  search  of  truth.  Nothing 
better  has  been  devised,  as  an  excuse  for  not  accepting  as 
t  rue  the  *4  Book  of  Mormon  "  ;  hence  this  has  been  confidently 
adhered  to.  Said  manuscript,  through  accident  or  design, 

found  a  rotinu-plarc  in  ol.x-uritv,  and   the  enemies  of 
the  M  i;(K,k  of  Mormoii"  avowed  that  its  reading  was  similar 

it  book. 

The  manuscript  could  not  be  procured,  in  order  to  effect  a 
comparison  ;  hence  those  who  fabricated  these  stories  regard- 
ing it  e-  aped  condemnation  at  the  public  bar.  But  justice 
does  not  always  slumber.  In  God's  economy  he  did  not 
permit  that  old  manuscript  to  be  destroyed;  but  in  due 
time,  in  a  mysterious  manner,  he  has  caused  it  to  be  brought 
Jit,  to  the  dismay  and  rebuke  of  those  who  have  taken 
pleasure  in  inciting  and  circulating  falsehoods  concerning  the 
origin  of  the  *'  Book  of  Mormon."  The  history  of  its  disclosure 
and  publication  cannot  fail  to  be  read  with  interest  by  all 
and  truth-loving  persons.  In  a  correspondence 
between  i  ,t  .1.  II.  Fan-child,  L.  L.  Rice,  and  Presi- 

t  Joseph  Smith,  tin-  reveal mcnt  and   identification  of  the 


374  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

lost    manuscript    are    clearly    and  credibly   presented,    as 
follows : — 

"The  theory  of  the  origin  of  the  'Book  of  Mormon' in 
the  traditional  manuscript  of  Solomon  Spaulding  will  prob- 
ably have  to  be  relinquished.  That  manuscript  is  doubtless 
now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  L.  L.  Rice,  of  Honolulu, 
Hawaiian  Islands,  formerly  an  anti-slavery  editor  in  Ohio, 
and  for  many  years  State  printer  at  Columbus.  During  a 
recent  visit  to  Honolulu,  I  suggested  to  Mr.  Rice  that  he 
might  have  valuable  anti-slavery  documents  in  his  posses- 
sion, which  he  would  be  willing  to  contribute  to  the  rich  col- 
lection already  in  the  Oberliu  College  Library.  In  pursuance 
of  this  suggestion,  Mr.  Rice  began  looking  over  his  old 
pamphlets  and  papers,  and  at  length  came  upon  an  old,  worn, 
and  faded  manuscript  of  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five* 
pages,  small  quarto,  purporting  to  be  a  history  of  the  migra- 
tions and  conflicts  of  the  ancient  Indian  tribes,  which  occu- 
pied the  territory  now  belonging  to  the  States  of  New  York, 
Ohio,  and  Kentucky.  On  the  last  page  of  this  manuscript 
is  a  certificate  and  signature,  giving  the  names  of  several 
persons  known  to  the  signer,  who  have  assured  him  that  to 
their  personal  knowledge  the  manuscript  was  the  writing  of 
Solomon  Spaulding.  Mr.  Rice  has  no  recollection  how  or 
when  this  manuscript  came  into  his  possession.  It  was 
enveloped  in  a  coarse  piece  of  wrapping-paper,  and  indorsed 
in  Mr.  Rice's  handwriting,  4  A  Manuscript  Stoiy.' 

"  There  seems  no  reason  to  doubt  that  this  is  the  long-lost 
story.  Mr.  Rice,  myself,  and  others  compared  it  with  the 
'  Book  of  Mormon,'  and  could  detect  no  resemblance  between 
the  two,  in  general  or  in  detail.  There  seems  to  be  no  name 
or  incident  common  to  the  two.  The  solemn  style  of  the 
'  Book  of  Mormon,'  in  imitation  of  the  English  Scriptures, 
does  not  appear  in  the  manuscript.  The  only  resemblance  is 


ri;i>!l>KNCY   AM)    PUIKSTIIOOD.  375 

in  the  fact  that  both  profess  to  set  forth  the  history  of  lost 
tribes.     Some  other  explanation  of  the  origin  of  the  '  I5ook 
of  Mormon*  must  be  found,  if  any  explanation  is  required." 
:  ieil)  JAMKS  11.  1  AlkCHILD. 

In  written  by  Joseph  Smith  to  L.  L.  Rice, 

•  •ived  from  that  gentleman  the  following  letters:  — 


,  SANDWICH  ISLANDS, 

March  28,  1885. 

•  loH  rii   .SMIIH  : 

'I'll*'  NpMuMinL:  mann-eript  in  my  possession  came  into 
my  hands  in  this  wise.  In  I  *;;:>-  10  my  partner  and  myself 
bought  Of  K.  D.  Howe  tin-  1'ainesville  Telegraph,  pub- 
lished at  Painesvillc,  Ohio.  The  transfer  of  the  printing 
department,  typ.-^.  pi-ess,  etc.,  was  aerompanied  with  a  large 
11  of  books,  manuscripts,  etc.,  this  manuscript  of 
Spanlding  among  the  rest.  So,  you  see.  it  has  been  in  my 
possession  o\,  T  forty  years.  I5nt  I  never  examined  it,  or 
knew  the  character  of  it,  until  some  six  or  eight  mouths 
since.  The  wrapper  was  marked,  "  Manuscript  Story  — 
Conneaut  The  wonder  is,  that  in  some  of  my  move- 

ments I  did  not  destroyer  burn  it  with  a  large  amount  of 
rubbi>h  that  had  accumulated  from  time  to  time. 

It  happened  that  President  Fairchild  was  here  on  a  visit,  at 

the  time  I  discovered  the  contents  of  it,  and  it  was  examined 

by  him  and  others  with  much  curiosity.     Since  President  Fair- 

child  published  the  fact  of  its  existence  in  my  possession,  I 

have  had  applications  for  it  from  half  a  dozen  sources,  each 

applicant  seeming  to  think  he  or  she  was  entitled  to  it.     Mr. 

.    .    .   he  obtained  it  from  some  source,  and  it  frsfl 

inadvertently  transferred  with  the  other  effects  of  his  print  ing- 

\.    II.    Drilling,  of  Painesville,  .  .   .  wants   me  to 

send  it  to  him.     Mrs.  Dickinson,  of  Boston,  claiming  to  be 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

a  relative  of  Spaulding,  and  who  is  getting  up  a  book  to 
show  that  he  was  the  real  author  of  the  tc  Book  of  Mormon," 
wants  it.  She  thinks,  at  least,  it  should  be  sent  to  Spauld- 
ing's  daughter,  a  Mrs.  somebody,  but  she  does  not  inform 
me  where  she  lives.  Deming  says  that  Howe  borrowed  it 
when  he  was  getting  up  his  book,  and  did  not  return  it,  as 
he  should  have  done,  etc. 

This  manuscript  does  not  purport  to  be  "  a  story  of  the 
Indians  formerly  occupying  this  continent "  ;  but  is  a  history 
of  the  wars  between  the  Indians  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  and 
their  progress  in  civilization,  etc.  It  is  certain  that  this 
manuscript  is  not  the  origin  of  the  u  Book  of  Mormon," 
whatever  some  other  manuscript  may  have  been.  The  only 
similarity  between  them  is,  in  the  manner  in  which  each 
purports  to  have  been  found, — -one  in  a  cave  on  Conneaut 
Creek,  the  other  in  a  hill  in  Ontario  County,  New  York. 
There  is  no  identity  of  names,  of  persons  or  places,  and 
there  is  no  similarity  of  style  between  them.  As  I  told  Mr. 
Deming,  I  should  as  soon  think  the  book  of  Revelation  was 
written  by  the  author  of  "  Don  Quixote,"  as  that  the  writer 
of  this  manuscript  was  the  author  of  the  "  Book  of  Mor- 
mon." .  .  . 

I  propose  to  hold  it  in  my  own  hands  for  a  while,  to  see  if  it 
cannot  be  put  to  some  good  use.  Deming  and  Howe  inform 
me  that  its  existence  is  exciting  great  interest  in  that  region. 
I  am  under  a  tacit  but  not  a  positive  pledge  to  President 
Fairchild,  to  deposit  it  eventually  in  the  library  of  Oberlin 
College.  I  shall  be  free  from  that  pledge  when  I  see  an 
opportunity  to  put  it  to  a  better  use. 

Yours,  etc.,  L.  L.  RICE. 

P.  S.  — Upon  reflection,  since  writing  the  foregoing,  I  am 
of  the  opinion  that  no  one  who  reads  this  manuscript  will 
give  credit  to  the  story  that  Solomon  Spaulding  was  in  any 


PRESIDENCY    AND    PHIESTHOOD.  377 

wise  the  author  of  the  "  Book  of  Mormon."  .  .  .  Finally,  I 
am  more  than  half  convinced  that  this  is  his  only  writing  of 
the  soit,  and  that  any  pretence  thai  Spanieling  was  in  any 
sense  the  author  of  the  other,  is  a  sheer  fabrication.  It  was 
* -a>y  for  anybody  who  may  have  seen  this,  or  heard  anything 
of  its  contents,  to  get  up  the  story  that  they  were  identical. 

L.  L.  R. 


HONOLULU,  SANDWICH  ISLANDS, 

May  14,  1885. 
Mi:.  .Josri'ii   SMITH  : 

Dear  Sir, — & .  .  Two  things  are  true  concerning  this 
inamiM-i -ipi  in  my  possession  :  first,  it  is  a  genuine  writing  of 
Solomon  Spaulding  :  and  second,  it  is  not  the  original  of  the 
4k  Book  of  Mormon." 

My  opinion  is,  from  all  I  have  seen  and  learned,  that  this 
is  the  only  writing  of  Spaulding. 

You  may  l»e  at  ivst  as  to  my  putting  the  manuscript  into 
the  poSMBfliOB  of  any  one  who  will  mutilate  it,  or  use  it  for 
a  l>a«l  purpose.  I  shall  have  it  deposited  in  the  library  of 
ObeiTm  College,  in  Ohio,  to  be  at  the  disposal  for  reading  of 
any  one  who  may  wish  to  peruse  it,  but  not  to  be  removed 
from  that  depository.  My  friend,  President  Fairchild,  may 
be  relied  on  as  security  for  the  safe  keeping  of  it.  It  will 
be  sent  there  in  July,  by  a  friend  who  is  going  there  to  u  take 
to  himself  a  wife."  Meantime,  I  have  made  a  literal  copy 
of  the  entire  document,  —  errors  of  orthography,  grammar, 
erasures,  and  all,  —  which  I  shall  keep  in  my  possession,  so 
that  any  attempt  to  mutilate  it  will  be  of  easy  detection  and 
exposure.  Oberlin  is  a  central  place,  in  the  vicinity  of  Con- 
neaut,  where  the  manuscript  was  written.  .  .  . 

Rev.  Dr.  Hyde,  president  of  the  institution,  in  this  place, 
for  training  native  missionaries  for  Micronesia  (a  very  prom- 
inent and  successful  institution),  has  written  an  elaborate 


378  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

account  of  this  manuscript  and  sent  it  for  publication  in  the 
Congregationalist,  of  Boston.  I  presume  it  will  be  published, 
and  you  will  be  interested  in  reading  it. 

Very  respectfully  yours 

L.  L.  RICE. 


In  a  postscript,  Mr.  Rice  says  he  found  the  following 
indorsement  on  the  manuscript :  — 

"The  writings  of  Solomon  Spaulding  proved  by  Aaron 
Wright,  Oliver  Smith,  John  N.  Miller,  and  others.  The  tes- 
timonies of  the  above  gentlemen  are  now  in  my  possession. 
(Signed)  D.  P.  HURLBUT." 


[COPY  OF  MR.    RICE'S  LETTER.] 

HONOLULU,  S.  L,  June  12,  1885. 
PRESIDENT  J.  II.  FAIRCHILD  : 

Herewith  I  send  to  you  the  Solomon  Spaulding  manuscript, 
to  be  deposited  in  the  library  of  Oberlin  College,  for  refer- 
ence by  any  one  who  may  be  desirous  of  seeing  or  examin- 
ing it.  It  has  been  in  my  possession  forty-six  years,  —  from 
1839  to  1885,  —  and  for  forty-four  years  of  that  time  no  one 
examined  it,  and  I  was  not  aware  of  the  character  of  its 
contents.  I  send  it  to  you  in  the  same  wrapper  and  tied 
with  the  same  string  that  must  have  enclosed  it  for  near  half 
a  century,  certainly  during  the  forty-six  years  since  it  came 
into  my  possession.  .  .  . 

Truly  vours,  etc., 

L.  L.  RICE. 

P.  S.  —  The  words  "Solomon  Spaulding's  Writings,"  in 
ink  on  the  wrapper,  were  written  by  me,  after  I  became 
aware  of  the  contents.  The  words  "Manuscript  Story  — 
Conneaut  Creek,"  in  faint  pencilling,  were  as  now  when  it 
came  into  my  possession. 


n:i>iM  v  v    AND   ri;ii:sTirooi).  379 

OBERLIN  Coiii-.i.  OI.IKLIN,  O., 
July  23,1885. 

I  have  this  day  di'livnvd  to  Mr.    K.    L.    Ivelley  a  copy  of 
tlir   mamix-ript   of  Solomon  Spaulding,  sent  from  Honolulu 
by  Mr.  I..  I.    Ui.-e,  to  the  library  of  OheiTm  College,  for  safe 
ing,  ami  now  in  my  care.     The  copy  was  prepared  at  Mr. 
Krll.  :.-st,  und(M-  my  supi'rvi-i-.n,  :md  is,  as  I  believe, 

an   <  .\>\   «»t'    tin*  original  manuscript,    including 

erasures,  rais8|x»l lings,  etc. 

.IAMKS   II.    FAIKC  IIILI), 

of  Oberiin  Cnii<>,j<: 


,  ().,  July  ~>\,  1885. 
W.   \\".   T.i  \n:.  Lamoni,  Iowa: 
Ilnvwith    I    transmit  to  you   tlu»  copy  of  the   Spaulding 
maiiusrript,  pn-parrd  l.y  Prcsidriit    Fairchild,  as  attested  by 
him,  totrrthrr  with  his  rrrtiliratf  and    photograph  sheets. 

E.  L.    KKLLKV. 
This  U  an  .  tTr.  tual  disposition  of  the  old  Spaulding  fraud. 


APPENDIX  A. 


PA.JK  14. 

4.    Mosefc  a  High  Priest. 

Moses,  in  his  character  of  official  position  and  authority,  was 
tin-  type  of  the  Christ. 

The  Lord  says:  "  I  will  rai>e  them  up  a  prophet  from  among 
their  brethren,  like  unto  thee,  and  will  put  my  words  in  his 
m<>uth;  and  he  shall  speak  unto  them  all  that  I  shall  command 
him. "-Dnii.  xviii.  18. 

The  new  law-giver  was  to  be  the  complete  antitype  of  this 
Moses  in  the  wilderness  —  combine  in  his  official  right  all  the 
authority  incident  to  the  meek  man  who  led  Israel  from  the  first 
bondage.  This  antitype  in  his  priestly  office  was  in  the  "simil- 
itude of  Melchisedec." —  Ileb.  vii.  15. 

"  Behold,  I  have  given  him  for  a  witness  to  the  people,  a 
leader  and  commander  to  the  people."  —  Isa.  Iv.  4. 

lie  was  prophet,  priest, and  king.  "  Who  was  faithful  to  him 
that  appointed  him,  as  also  Moses  was  faithful  in  all  his  house." 
Ileh.  iii.  2. 

"  And  Moses  verily  was  faithful  in  all  his  house  as  a  ser- 
vant,/••/•  a  testimony  of  those  things  which  were  to  be  spoken 
after."  —  Ibid.,  iii.  5. 

Moses  too,  then,  was  a  "  witness  "  — the  great  typical  priest 
of  his  time.  "  For  when  Moses  had  spoken  every  precept  to  all 
the  people  according  to  the  law,  he  took  the  blood  of  calves  and 
of  goats,  with  water,  and  scarlet  wool,  and  hyssop,  and  sprinkled 
both  the  book  and  all  the  people."  —  Ibid.,  ix.  19.  This  priest, 
also,  must  have  been  "  in  the  similitude  of  Melchisedec,"  for  he 
was  greater  than  Aaron  in  his  official  standing. 

This  purification  by  Moses  foreshadowed  the  purification  of 
the  heavenly  things  by  Christ. 

"It  was  therefore  necessary  that  the  patterns  of  things  in 
the  heavens  should  be  purified  with  these;  but  the  heavenly 
things  themselves  with  better  sacrifices  than  these.  For  Christ 
is  not  entered  into  the  holy  places  made  with  hands,  which  are 

(381) 


382  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

the  figures  of  the  true;  but  into  heaven  itself,  now  to  appear  in 
the  presence  of  God  for  us."  —  I&ieZ.,  ix.  23,  24. 

Moses  in  his  service  in  the  tabernacle  on  earth  typified  in  his 
act  of  purifying  and  entering  the  holy  placec,  made  with  hands, 
the  figures  of  the  true,  —  that  of  the  Christ  as  he  entered  heaven 
itself,  —  offering  the  better  sacrifice;  not  to  so  enter  makes  the 
type  untrue,  if  Christ  entered  heaven. 

In  the  performance  of  this  work  Moses  officiated  in  his  priestly 
character,  because  there  was  no  perfect  representation  of  the 
u  true,"  unless  u  the  holy  places  "  were  purified  and  entered  by 
such  a  high  priest. 

So  it  is  written,  u  Moses  and  Aaron  among  my  priests  ";  but 
Moses  takes  precedence  of  Aaron  in  all  things  as  a  high  priest. 
"  Moses  himself ,  as  the  representative  of  the  unseen  king,  is  the 
consecrator,  the  sacrificer  throughout  these  ceremonies  "  (set- 
ting Aaron  and  his  sons  apart  to  the  priestly  offices);  u  as  the 
channel  through  which  the  others  received  their  office,  he  has 
for  the  time  a  higher  priesthood  than  that  of  Aaron.  (De 
Syneder,  i.  1-16;  Ugoline,  xii.  3.)"  —  Smith's  Bible  Dictionary, 
by  HACKETT,  Yol.  III.,  page  2575. 

"  If  there  be  a  prophet  among  you,  I  the  Lord  will  make 
myself  known  unto  him  in  a  vision,  and  will  speak  unto  him  in 
a  dream. 

"  My  servant  Moses  is  not  so,  who  is  faithful  in  all  mine 
house."  — Num.  xii.  6,  7. 

Thus  the  high  priest  who  entered  yearly  into  the  "  holy 
place "  (Heb.  ix.  7)  was  not  equal  to  the  one  who  set  up  or 
purified  the  tabernacle,  and  first  entered,  who  was  the  type  of 
the  true. 

Moses  was  not  only  in  his  prophetic  and  priestly  character 
a  true  type  of  the  Messiah,  but  also  in  his  kingship.  "He 
was  king  in  Jeshurun,  when  the  heads  of  the  people  and  the 
tribes  of  Israel  were  gathered  together."  —  Deut.  xxxiii.  5. 
Priest,  king,  judge,  and  ruler. 

"  Faithful  in  all  mine  house."    His  authority  permitted  him 
to  act  in  all  the  offices  of  the  house  of  God,  and  he  performed 
his  work  faithfully  as  a  prophet,  high  priest,  and  king. 
And  the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb  (Rev.  xv.  3)  is  to  be 


APPENDIX    B.  383 

sung  by  those  who  stand  on  the  sea  of  glass,  having  the  harps 
of  God,  saying,  "  Great  and  marvellous  are  thy  works,  Lord  God 
Almighty;  just  and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou  King  of  Saints." 


APPENDIX   B. 


PAGE  66. 

The  divided  opinion  that  has  arisen  regarding  the  parentage 
of  u  James,  the  Lord's  brother,"  we  may  with  propriety  con- 
jecture was  on  account,  to  some  extent,  at  least,  of  a  prevailing 
>«  ntimentality  that  arose  in  after  years,  that  Mary,  the  mother 
of  Jesus,  was  too  immaculate  to  have  borne  children  other  than 
the  Christ.  Roman  Catholics  insist  that  Mary  was  "  ever  Vir- 
gin .v  and  of  course  there  has  been  an  effort  by  various  writers  to 
bend  history  to  conform  to  that  opinion.  Eminent  writers  are 
at  variance  upon  this  question,  and  it  maybe  said,  therefore, 
to  be  an  open  question.  The  plain  facts  seem  to  be  that 
"  James,  and  Joses,  and  Simon,  and  Judas  "  were  "  brethren  of 
the  Lord," all  sons  of  Joseph,  "  the  carpenter."  (Matt.  xiii.  55; 
Mark  iii.  6.)  Jesus,  of  course,  was  the  (" supposed  to  be") 
son  of  Joseph,  as  the  people  in  common  did  not  understand 
in  regard  to  his  extraordinary  conception.  (Luke  iii.  26.)  It 
should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  the  people  understood 
tlmt  they  were  children  of  the  carpenter  Joseph,  and  brothers 
to  Jesus,  and  not  cousins  of  his,  as  is  held  in  many  divergent 
theories.  The  confusion,  or  the  formulation  of  many  vague 
theories,  arose  from  the  excessive  number  of  Jameses  and  Marys 
who  lived  at  that  time,  and  the  strong  disposition  that  pre- 
vailed afterwards  to  keep  the  mother  of  Jesus  "  ever  Virgin." 
In  John  xix.  25  we  have  presented  "His  mother,  his  mother's 
sister,  Mary  the  wife  of  Cleophas,  and  Mary  Magdalene." 
The  name  of  the  Virgin's  sister  is  not  given;  but  some  suppose 
that  her  name  was  Mary,  also,  and  that  she  was  the  mother  of 
the  persons  known  as  "brethren  of  the  Lord";  and  is  to  be 
identified  with  the  Mary  of  Mark  xiv.  40,  Matt,  xxvii.  56; 


384  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

but  this  view  of  the  matter  is  repudiated  by  others.  It  is  clear, 
however,  that  if  they  were  the  children  of  this  sister  of  the 
Virgin,  they  were  not  the  children  of  Cleophas,  neither  the 
children  of  Joseph  by  a  previous  marriage,  or  any  other  mar- 
riage with  him,  as  is  held  by  some  writers,  unless  we  allow  him 
to  have  had  two  wives  at  the  same  time,  the  Virgin  and  the 
Virgin's  sister,  which  would  hardly  be  considered  good  philoso- 
phy in  these  Christian  times.  It  is  held  again  that  "  James  the 
less  v  is  to  be  identified  with  "  James,  the  Lord's  brother,"  and 
that  he  was  the  son  of  Cleophas  or  another  of  the  Virgin's  sis- 
ters; but  neither  is  certain,  and  it  is  obvious  that  he  could  not 
be  the  son  of  both.  The  matter  seems  to  be  clear  enough,  if 
we  accept  that  the  people  knew  the  truth  of  the  matter,  that 
"  James,  and  Joses,  and  Simon,  and  Judas  "  were  sons  of  the 
"  carpenter"  and  brothers  of  Jesus,  and  that  Paul  knew  what 
he  affirmed  when  he  called  u  James,  the  Lord's  brother."  (Gal. 
i.  19.)  The  position  taken  in  "  Presidency  and  Priesthood  "  in 
regard  to  James  is  not  affected  in  either  case,  for  none  will  deny 
that  James  was  the  next  of  age  to  Jesus  in  the  family  of  Joseph, 
who,  by  right  of  inheritance,  became  the  head  in  the  favored 
family,  and  first  rights  and  prerogatives  belonged  to  the  eldest 
and  nearest  of  kin,  and  not  to  the  son  of  Zebedee.  The  follow- 
ing learned  discussion  in  regard  to  James  the  son  of  Alphreus 
and  others  may  be  read  with  both  interest  and  profit,  as  this  to 
many  is  a  vexed  question,  but  a  vital  one:  — 

"  JAMES,  the  son  ofAlphceus.  He  also  was  one  of  the  apostles, 
and  is  mentioned  in  all  the  four  lists  (Matt.  x.  3;  Mark  iii.  18; 
Luke  vi.  15;  Acts  i.  13)  by  this  name,  but  in  no  other  place.  It 
is,  however,  thought  by  some  that  he  is  the  same  with  James, 
the  Lord's  brother.  In  Matt.  xiii.  55  and  Mark  vi.  3  the  breth- 
ren of  the  Lord  are  named  James,  Joses,  Judas,  and  Simon. 
It  is  also  to  be  remarked  that  they  are  in  both  places  spoken  of 
as  the  children  of  the  carpenter;  that  is,  of  Joseph,  the  husband 
of  the  Virgin  Mary.  But  it  has  been  urged  that  they  were 
called  sons  of  Joseph  and  Mary  because  the  children  of  two 
families  —  of  Mary  the  Virgin  and  Mary  the  wife  of  Clopas, 
her  half  sister  —  were  brought  up  togethef .  Those  who  in 
this  way  make  James,  the  Lord's  brother,  to  be  a  son  of  Al- 


APPENDIX    B.  385 

phaeus,  require  to  establish  (a)  that  Clopas  is  the  same  name  as 
Alplueii-;  i  '•)  that  Mary  the  wife  of  Clopas  (John  xix.  25)  was 
the  sister  of  tin  Virgin  Mary  ;  and  (c)  that  this  Mary,  wife  of 
(  lopas,  is  the  same  who  is  call  CM!  (  Matt.  xxvi.  56;  Mark  xv.  40) 
Mary  the  mother  of  James  and  Jo*  i,  and  ( Mark  xvi.  1;  Luke 
xxiv.  10)  simply  the  mother  of  James,  in  which  four  passages 
the  same  person  is  int.-ndrd.  But  the  identity  of  the  names 
Alphaeus  and  Clopas  is  by  no  means  certain.  Those  who 
maintain  it  take  Cleophas  as  the  Aramaic  Chalpai,  and  Alphams 
to  be  a  Grtbcized  form  thereof.  But  when  we  turn  to  what 
miu'ht  be  supposed  the  best  source  of  evidence  on  this  point, 

.  the  Peshito  version  of  the  New  Testament,  instead  of 
(i  in  ling  the  two  names  treated  as  the  same  word,  we  find  in  all 
caaes  Chalpai  where  the  Greek  has  Alphajus,  and  where 
Clopas  or  Cleopas  occurs,  it  is  simply  translated  Kleopha. 
The  same  is  the  case  with  the  Jerusalem  Syriac.  The  identity 
of  these  names  is  thus  far  from  being  established.  Then  in 
John  xix.  25  the  versions  and  best  authorities  are  in  favor  of 
making  four  persons  of  those  there  mentioned,  *  his  mother  and 

Mother's  sister,  and  Mary  the  wife  of  Clopas  and  Mary  Mag- 
dalene.' This  is  the  1'eshito  rendering,  and,  even  if  the  con- 
junction were  not  there,  it  is  not  uncommon  in  Scriptural  enu- 
meration to  find  names  given  in  pairs  without  any  conjunction, 
while  to  make  Mary  the  wife  of  Clopas  the  Virgin's  sister 
would  be  to  assume  two  Mary's  in  the  same  family  of  sisters, 
which  is  not  very  probable.  Whether  Mary  wife  of  Clopas  was 
the  mother  of  James  (called  in  one  place  '  the  little ' )  and 
of  Joses  can  neither  be  asserted  nor  denied  from  the  evidence 
in  the.  Gospel;  but  when  the  other  two  assumptions  have  so 
little  foundation  to  rest  on,  it  seems  impossible  to  consider  the 
son  of  AlphtBus  the  same  person  with  the  *  brother  of  the 
Lord.' 

"  Further,  James,  the  Lord's  brother,  was  bishop  of  Jerusa- 
lem (Comp.  (ial.  i.  l!»  \\\ 'h  <;al.  ii.  !>-12),  and  was  president  of 
the  church  in  its  earliest  days  (Acts  xii.  17,  xv.  13,  xxi.  18). 

i  a  position  re<jtiin  <1  him  to  be  a  resident  in  Jerusalem, 
while  had  he  been  an  apostle  (as  the  son  of  Alphams  was)  Wt 
shon  xpccted  him  to  take  his  share  of  the  missionary 


386  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

labor  of  publishing  the  gospel  in  distant  lands.  But  this 
bishop  of  Jerusalem  was  the  author  of  the  epistle  of  St.  James. 
He  simply  styles  himself  in  the  introduction  thereto,  c  Servant 
of  God  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'  He  who  could  thus 
write  with  the  certainty  of  being  identified  must  have  been  the 
most  famous  person  of  his  name  in  the  church,  must  have  been 
what  St.  Paul,  in  a  passage  (Gal.  ii.  9)  where  he  places  James 
before  both  Peter  and  John,  calls  him  c  a  pillar  '  of  the  Chris- 
tian society.  .  .  . 

u  It  seems  right,  therefore,  to  conclude  that  James  the  son  of 
Alphaeus,  one  of  the  apostles,  was  a  different  person  from  James 
the  Lord's  brother  and  bishop  of  Jerusalem.  Of  the  history  of 
the  former  we  are  told  nothing  except  that  he  was  an  apostle. 
The  latter  is  spoken  of  by  St.  Peter  (Acts  ii.  17)  as  if  he  were 
at  that  time  the  recognized  head  of  the  Christian  commu- 
nity in  Jerusalem.  Again  (Acts  iv.  13),  after  the  debate  at 
Jerusalem  about  the  circumcision  of  the  Gentiles,  it  is  he  who 
sums  up  the  arguments  and  declares  the  sentence  of  the 
council  as  if  he  were  the  chief  person  among  them. 

u  He  was  put  to  death  by  order  of  Ananus,  the  high  priest,  by 
being  thrown  from  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  immediately  before 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem."  —  Encyclopaedia  Britannica, 
Vol.  III.,  pages  592  and  593. 


APPENDIX   C. 


"  JUDE,  the  writer  of  the  Epistle  of  St.  Jude  ('iov«as),  calls 
himself  (verse  1)  '  the  brother  of  James.'  In  primitive  Chris- 
tian times,  among  Judseo-Christians,  to  whom  this  Epistle,  from 
the  nature  of  its  contents,  must  have  been  addressed,  there 
was  but  one  James  who  could  thus  be  spoken  of  without  any 
further  description,  viz.,  James  4  the  Lord's  brother.'  The 
writer  of  this  Epistle,  then,  claims  to  be  the  Judas  named 
among  the  brethren  of  the  Lord  in  Matt.  xiii.  55;  Mark  vii.  3. 


APPENDIX   C.  387 

He  seems  himself  to  declare  by  implication  that  he  was  not  an 
apostle  (verse  17),  and  with  this  agrees  the  statement  (John 
vii.  5),  that  at  a  time  not  long  before  the  crucifixion,  the 
brethren  of  Jesus  did  not  believe  on  him.  And  it  is  some  con- 
firmation of  this  position  that  the  writer  of  the  Epistle  of  St. 
James,  m  like  manner,  does  not  claim  to  be  an  apostle."  [It 
is  the  evident  position  of  the  writer  here  that  Jude  and  James 
disclaim  to  hold  positions  with  the  twelve  apostles  as  such. 
That  officially  they  did  not  belong  to  that  body,  yet  Paul  ex- 
pressly states  that  James  was  an  apostle.  Gal.  i.  19.]  "  The 
brethren  of  the  Lord  are  spoken  of  in  Acts  i.  14  as  distinct 
fmiu  the  apostolic  body,  and  are  placed  in  the  enumeration 
as  though  latest  included  among  the  believers;  and  that  their 
feelings  toward  Jesus  should  have  been  changed  since  his 
death  and  resurrection  has  been  thought  to  be  sufficiently 
explained  by  the  assertion  of  St.  Paul  (1  Cor.  xv.  7)  that  the 
Lord  had  been  4  seen  of  James  '  on  one  special  occasion  after 
he  had  risen  from  the  dead.  We  conclude,  therefore,  that  the 
writer  of  the  Epistle  was  a  different  perjon  from  Jude  the 
apostle,  who  appears  also  to  have  had  the  name  Lebboms  and 
1  h;ul«heus  (Comp.  Matt.  x.  3,  Mark  iii.  18,  with  Luke  vi.  16, 
Acts  1.13). 

"From  the  notices  of  the  descendants  of  Jude,  the  brother 
of  the  Lord,  preserved  by  Eusebius  (H.  E.,  iii.  19,23)  from 
Ilegessippus,  we  should  conclude  that  they  were  resident  in 
Palestine.  It  seems  natural,  therefore,  to  suppose  that  the 
Epistle  was  written  in  Palestine,  and,  it  may  be,  for  some  Jew- 
ish converts  in  some  district  of  that  country.  But  of  this  we 
can  have  no  certainty.  If,  as  seems  to  be  intimated  by  Heges- 
sippus,  Jude  was  dead  in  the  time  of  Domitian,  we  perhaps 
shall  not  be  far  wrong  in  assigning  the  composition  of  the 
Epistle  to  about  80  A.  D."  It  "  appears  to  have  been  written 
after  the  second  Epistle  of  St.  Peter."  —  Enclycopcedia  Britan- 
wca,  pages  771,772. 

It  appears  from  a  statement  of  Paul  (1  Cor.  ix.  5)  that  the 
"  Brethren  of  the  Lord"  were  prominent  persons  in  the 
church  in  his  time.  They  are  mentioned  in  connection  with 
Cephas  and  other  apostles. 


388  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

APPENDIX  D. 


It  should  be  constantly  borne  in  mind  that  the  title  of  bishop 
was  not  applied  to  James  in  order  to  designate  the  chief  officer 
in  the  Church  in  the  time  of  the  apostles.  The  learned  do  not 
know  what  title  of  office  he  bore.  The  term  bishop  was  applied 
by  more  modern  writers  to  the  chief  officer  of  the  ancient 
church,  because  by  that  title  they  assumed  to  designate  their 
own  chief  officer  or  officers  of  the  clergy,  not  knowing  by  what 
name  the  first  officer  in  the  Jerusalem  church  was  known. 
Some  say  he  had  no  distinctive  title.  But  Paul  says  he  was  an 
npostle  (Gal.  i.  19),  and  it  is  quite  evident  that  he  was  not  a 
member  of  the  College  of  Twelve  Apostles.  Following  the 
tradition  of  the  elders  in  the  belief  that  there  could  be  but 
twelve  apostles  at  one  time,  the  learned  are  at  a  loss  to  know  what 
to  do  with  the  thirteenth  one,  it  would  seem,  so  they  concluded, 
as  he  had  no  other  distinctive  title,  to  call  him  bishop.  It  is 
assumed,  however,  that  bishops  succeeded  to  the  offices  of  the 
apostles  after  the  death  of  the  latter,  and  that  the  apostolic 
office  is  in  the  Episcopate,  the  chief  bishop  being  the  head  or 
Pope.  But  in  the  time  of  the  apostles  the  apostolic  office  was 
one  thing  and  that  of  bishop  was  quite  another,  and  both  classes 
of  offices  and  officers  existed  in  the  church  at  the  same  time. 
Just  how,  in  after  ages,  the  apostolic  office  became  blended 
with  that  of  the  bishop,  wherein  it  lost  its  identity,  or  was 
superseded  altogether  by  that  of  the  bishop,  or  that  the  apos- 
tolic office  is  in  the  Episcopate,  is  much  easier  to  assert  than  to 
prove,  or  even  show  to  be  reasonable.  The  following  learned 
discussion  of  the  distinction  between  presbyters  and  bishops 
may  be  read  with  both  interest  and  profit.  Also  what  is  added 
under  the  head  of  Patriarch,  Evangelist,  and  Prophet. 

RELATION   OF  PRESBYTERS   TO  BISHOPS. 

u  What  were  the  primitive  relations  of  presbyters  to  bishops, 
is  a  question  which  cannot  be  overlooked^  yet  to  which,  with 


Al'I'KMUX    D.  389 

evidence  at  present  available,  only  a  tentative  answer  can  be 
given.    Most  probably,  as  the  former  were  of  Jewish,  so  the 
r  were  of  origin,  as  the  former  presided  over  Jew- 

ish, so  the   latter  in  the  first  instance   presided  over  Gentile 
•ies.      Hence  when  tin-  di-tinetion  between  Gentile, 
and  .Jr\vi>h  communities  began  to  fade  away,  the  two  sets  of 
officers,    fulfilling    as    they    did    analogous    functions,    were 
is  havini;  equivalent  rank.     This  point  must  be  taken 
as  having  been  conerdrd  hy  almost  all  important  writers  upon 

the  subject  in  ancient  and  modem  times 

••It  must  be,  however,  noted  that  there  is  a  tendency  in  many 
0  press  tli  nee  too  far,  and  to  infer  an  original 

hit -ntny  of  bishops  and  presbyters.    Whereas  all  that  can  be 
•  ly  inferred  is  as  stated  al..,\v  (an  equivalence  of  rank). 
A^    interenmmunlon    inereased  between    ,Iud;i>o-Christian   and 
'.e  communities,  those  who  paned  from  one  to  the  other 
tended  to  use  the  names  bishop  and  presbyter  interchangeably, 
Nut  li».v   tin    two  offices  came  to  coexist  as  distinct  offices  in 
the  same  community  is  the  most  difficult  point  in  the  whole 
(duplex  question-,  nor  does  it  seem  possible  upon  existing  evi- 
dence to  give  any  other  than  the  general  answer  that  there  was 
a  fusion  of  the  .Iii'l;t o-(  hri-tian  and  the  Gentile  organizations, 
and  this  fusion  was  a  gradual  one.    But  whether  this  or  some 
other  be  the  true  explanation  of  the  coexistence  of  the  two  offices, 
the  fact  of  such  coexistence  must  be  admitted,  though  its  uni- 
versality may  be  denied.    Out  of  the  fact  two  other  questions 
spring .   (1)  I I«»\v  was  it  that  the  relative  rank  of  the  two  offices 
changed  from  one  of  equivalence  to  one  of  subordination?  (2) 
and  how  was  it  that  the  title  episcopate,  rather  than  any  other, 
lied  permanently  to  the  head  of  the  ecclesiastical  organi- 
on? 

(1.)    "  To  the  first  question  many  answers  have  been  given, 

th  ancient  and  modern  times,  when,  as  early  as  the  end  of 

fourth  century,  Aeriu*  appealed  to  St.  Paul's  language  as 

nee  that  bishops  and  presbyters  were  not  identical,  though 

admit  Ing  tint  the  difference  between  the  two  orders  lay  only  in 

ordination.     lie  propounded  the  theory  that  in 

some  cases  bishops  had  been  appointed  and  not  presbyters,  and 


390  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

in  other  presbyters  but  not  bishops.  In  either  case,  however, 
deacons  were  necessary,  and  hence  St.  Paul  speaks  sometimes 
of  deacons  and  bishops,  sometimes  of  deacons  and  presbyters. 
Assuming  that  Timothy  was  (1)  a  bishop,  (2)  a  bishop  in  the 
latter  sense,  he  regards  the  command  *  Kebuke  not  an  elder ' 
(1  Tim.  v.  1)  as  conclusive  proof  of  the  superiority  of  the  one 
order  to  the  other.  Almost  contemporary  with  this  was  the 
theory  of  Jerome,  that  the  episcopate  rose  out  of  the  presbyterate 
as  a  safeguard  against  schisms.  At  first  there  were  several 
presbyters  in  one  church,  but  afterwards  one  was  selected  to 
preside  over  the  rest.  .  .  . 

u  Later  theories  on  the  subject  are  so  numerous  as  to  make 
the  discussion  of  them  an  almost  endless  task;  and  it  must  be 
sufficient  here  to  refer  to  the  more  important  of  those  which 
have  been  advanced  during  the  present  century. 

"  It  may  be  useful  to  point  out  that  in  all  probability  the  ques- 
tion does  not  admit  of  a  single  answer,  and  that  the  relations  of 
presbyters  to  bishops  varied  widely  in  the  several  groups 
into  which  the  churches  of  the  first  two  centuries  may  be 
arranged. 

"  (a.)  The  case  of  Jerusalem  stands  on  a  peculiar  footing. 
The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  preserves  the  tradition,  which  is  con- 
firmed by  later  authorities,  that  James  had  a  kind  of  a  presidency 
over  the  Judreo-Christian  community  which  existed  there.  The 
nature  of  that  presidency  is  uncertain.  The  Clementines 
speak  of  him  as  '  episcopas,'  but  there  is  no  contemporary  evi- 
dence of  his  having  possessed  the  designation;  nor,  even  if  the 
tradition  of  the  two  hundredth  century  be  admitted  as  to  the 
possession  of  the  designation,  is  there  any  such  evidence  to 
show  how  far  the  relation  in  which  he  stood  to  the  other  apos- 
tles or  to  the  '  elders '  was  analogous  to  that  which  existed 
between  the  bishops  and  presbyters  of  later  time.  The  most 
probable  conjecture  is,  that  in  this  case  the  conception  of  a  visi- 
ble head  of  the  church  arose  from  the  belief  in  the  nearness  of. 
the  second  advent. 

"  James,  as  the  Lord's  brother,  was  regarded  as  occupying  II is 
place  until  He  came.  It  is  also  probable  that,  as  Gfrbrer  thinks, 


jrn-MHx  D.  391 

the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  men's  thoughts  turned  to  Rome  as 
the  centre  of  the  Christian  organization,  and  that  the  pscudo- 
P< -trine  lit  of  the  second  century,  which  originated  at 

Home,  h:i«l  for  its  ehief  ol.jrrt  to  impress  the  hierarchical  ideas, 
of  \vhieh  ii  N  full,  upon  the  Roman  mind.  .  .  . 

44  (b.)    l\\  the  larger  communities,  such  as  Rome  and  Ephesus, 

in  which  the  influence  of  a  single  apostle  had  for  some  years 

dominated,  it  was  natural  that  the  monarehial  ideas  should  tend 

to  pi.  vail   after  the  apostle  himself  had  passed   away.     The 

of  such  a  dominance   i^   here  a>Mimed.   ...   In  such 

•nullities,  therefore,  there  is  strong  historical  evidence  to 

show    that  from  early  times   there  was  a  recognized  and  per- 

resident.      Hut  here  also  then-  i<  no  evidence  to  show 

lation  in  which  the  president  stood  to  the  presl.y- 

:,'iiilicant  fact   that    Ireiia-ns  speaks 

of  the  early  heads  of  the  Roman  Church  as  presbyters.  .  .  . 

"  (c.)  In  the  cases  of  the  churches  of  other  cities,  in  which, 
it  must  be  l>ornc  in  mind,  there  is  no  evidence  of  the  existence 
lent  or  bishop  until  the  middle  of  the  second  century, 
it  *pf>6*n  I"  1"  -utlieient  to  point  to  the  ^en.-ral  ;-iialogy  of  the 
contemporary  communities,  after  which,  in  so  many  respects, 
th«-  «i;ly  churches  were  modelled.  Democratical  as  those 
communities  were  in  tin-  main,  they  still  had  a  president.  We 
find  such  a  president  (a)  in  the  Greek  associations  under  sev- 

titles.    .    .    . 

"  A  |. residing  otlicer  became  indispensable,  and  the  officer  so 
appo;  s  known  by  the  title  which  was  in  Current  use  to 

the  financial  ofliccr  of  the  community. 

••This  function   of  the  Christian  bishop   continued  to  be  a 

prima» y  on»-.  < -v«  n  after  many  other  functions  clustered  around 

his  oflicc.     It  is  not  sound  to  reason  from  the  functions  of 

bi>lmps  in  the  third  or  fourth  centuries  to  their  functions  in 

tin-  first;  but  at  the  same  time,  the  fact  that  the  bishops  were 

tin-  custodians  and   dispen-<  is   of  church   funds   in  the  later 

»<1  corroborates  the  inference  which  is  drawn  from  other 

datn,  that  they  were  so  also  in  the  earlier.  .  .  . 

44  The  custodian  of  the  church  funds  was  also  the  custodian 

ts  of  persons  among  whom  those  futds  were  to  be 


392  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

divided.  .  .  .'Hence  also  the  bishop,  as  custodian  of  the  list, 
was  the  proper  officer  for  giving  certificates  of  membership 
(that  is,  one  entitled  to  benefits  from  the  church  treasury). 

"  The  jealous  care  with  which  the  right  of  giving  it  was 
guarded,  shows  the  importance  which  was  attached  to  it,  and 
supports  the  inference  that  it  played  no  inconsiderable  part  in 
the  exaltation  of  the  episcopate  in  relation  to  the  presbyterate. 

"  The  presbyterate  also  lost  ground  in  the  second  century, 
through  the  la^ge  development  within  the  churches  of  opinions 
which  were  at  variance  with  the  general  currents  of  apostolic 
doctrine.  ...  It  became  necessary  to  distinguish  between 
the  true  and  the  false  traditions.  .  .  .  The  bishop,  who 
had  by  this  time  begun  to  be  prominent  above  the  presbyters, 
was  regarded  as  a  kind  of  Incarnate  tradition,  the  pure  and 
uncorrupted  spring  of  apostolic  truth.  .  .  .  These  causes 
operated  with  different  degrees  of  force  in  different  commu- 
nities; and  it  is  by  no  means  certain  when  the  subordina- 
tion of  the  order  of  the  presbyters  to  a  single  officer  first 
became  general.  The  evidence,  whether  for  the  existence  of 
bishops  or  for  their  superior  authority,  cannot  be  pressed  fur- 
ther than  the  facts  warrant.  ...  It  may  be  admitted  that 
bishops  existed  as  church  officers,  without  also  admitting  that 
they  occupied  in  relation  to  the  presbyterate  the  same  position 
which  they  occupied  afterwards.  .  .  .  But  by  the  begin- 
ning of  the  third  century,  the  organization  of  most  all  churches 
had  begun  to  conform  to  a  single  type,  bishop,  presbyters,  and 
deacons.  In  some  places  the  older  organization  lingered  on, 
and  there  are  many  indications  that  the  presbyters  did  not 
allow  their  privileges  to  be  curtailed  without  a  struggle.  That 
struggle  came  to  a  head  in  Montanism,  and  the  triumph  of  the 
episcopate  over  the  presbyterate  was  by  no  means  secure 
until  Montanism  was  crushed.  .  .  .  When  this  type  was  once 
established,  several  circumstances  combined  to  render  the  sub- 
ordination of  the  presbyterate  more  complete.  But  even  after 
these  influences  had  begun  to  operate,  the  difference  between 
the  two  orders  was  rather  a  difference  of  rank  than  of  f  unction. " 
—  Smith  and  Cheatham^s  Dictionary  of  Christian  Antiquities, 
pages  1700, 1701,  1702,1703. 


APPENDIX   E.  393 


APPENDIX   E. 


The  following  was  written  by  Cobbett  also,  who  was  raised  in 
the  Established  Church  of  England,  but  who  writes  with  a  strong 
Catholic  Was,  so  much  so  that  one  is  inclined  to  believe  that  his 
preferred  faith  was  Roman  Catholic,  rather  than  the  faith  of 
the  English  Church;  and  hence  he  can  be  relied  upon  to  state 
favoraMy  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  and  the  facts  at  least  con- 
cerning the  rise  and  the  establishment  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, as  his  nearest  relatives  were  members  of  that  church,  and 
h<  himself  was  raised  in  it,  and  there  is  no  statement  made  that 
ver  left  it. 

"(40.)  The  Catholic  Church  originated  with  Jesus  Christ 
himself.  He  selected  Peter  to  be  the  head  of  his  church.  This 
lie's  name  was  Simon;  but  his  master  called  him  Peter, 
which  means  a  stone  or  rock;  and  he  said,  *  On  this  rock  will  I 
l»uild  my  church.'  Look  at  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew,  xvi. 
18,  11),  and  that  of  St.  John  xxi.  15,  and  onward,  and  you  will 
see  that  we  must  deny  the  truth  of  the  Scriptures,  or  acknowl- 
edge that  here  was  a  head  of  the  church  promised  for  all  gener- 
al ions. 

"(41.)  St.  Peter  died,  a  martyr  at  Rome  in  about  sixty  years 
after  the  birth  of  Christ.  But  another  supplied  his  place;  and 
there  is  the  most  satisfactory  evidence  that  the  chain  of  suc- 
cession has  remained  unbroken  from  that  day  to  this.  When  I 
said,  in  paragraph  10,  that  it  might  be  said  that  there  was  no 
Pope  seated  at  Rome  for  the  first  three  hundred  years,  I  by  no 
means  meant  to  admit  the  fact;  but  to  get  rid  of  a  pretence 
which,  at  any  rate,  could  not  apply  to  England,  which  was  con- 
verted to  Christianity  by  missionaries  sent  by  a  Pope,  the  suc- 
cessor of  other  Popes,  who  had  been  seated  at  Rome  for 
hundreds  of  years.  The  truth  is,  that  from  the  persecutions 
which,  for  the  first  three  hundred  years,  the  church  underwent, 
the  Chief  Bishops,  successors  of  St.  Peter,  had  not  always  the 
means  of  openly  maintaining  their  supremacy;  but  they  always 


394  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

existed;  there  was  always  a  Chief  Bishop;  and  his  supremacy 
was  always  acknowledged  by  the  Church;  that  is  to  say,  by  all 
the  Christians  then  in  the  world. 

"(42.)  Of  later  date,  the  Chief  Bishop  has  been  called,  in 
our  language,  the  POPE,  and  in  the  French,  PAPE.  In  the  Latin 
he  is  called  PAPA,  which  is  a  union  and  abbreviation  of  the  two 
Latin  words,  Pater  Patrice,  which  means  father  of  fathers. 
Hence  comes  the  appellation  of  Papa,  which  children  of  all 
Christian  nations  give  to  their  fathers;  an  appellation  of  the 
highest  respect  and  most  ardent  and  sincere  affection.  Thus, 
then,  the  POPE,  each  as  he  has  succeeded  to  his  office,  became 
the  chief  or  head  of  the  Church:  and  his  supreme  power  and 
authority  were  acknowledged,  as  I  have  observed  in  paragraph 
3,  by  all  the  bishops  and  all  the  teachers  of  Christianity,  in  all 
nations  where  that  religion  existed.  The  Pope  was  and  is 
assisted  by  a  body  of  persons  called  Cardinals  or  Great  Coun- 
cillors; and  at  various  and  numerous  times,  councils  of  the 
church  have  been  held,  in  order  to  discuss  and  settle  matters 
of  deep  interest  to  the  unity  and  well-being  of  the  church. 
These  councils  have  been  held  in  all  the  countries  of  Christen- 
dom. Many  were  held  in  England.  .  .  . 

"  At  the  time  when  this  religion  was  introduced,  England  was 
governed  by  seven  kings,  and  that  state  was  called  the  HEP- 
TARCHY. The  people  of  the  whole  country  were  PAGANS.  Yes, 
my  friends,  our  ancestors  were  pagans.  They  worshipped  gods 
made  with  hands,  and  they  sacrificed  children  on  the  altars  of 
their  idols.  .  .  .  Kow,  please  to  bear  in  mind  that  this  great 
event  took  place  in  the  year  596.  The  Protestant  writers  have 
been  strangely  embarrassed  in  their  endeavors  to  make  it  out 
that,  up  to  that  time  or  thereabouts,  the  Catholic  Church  \\zspure, 
and  trod  in  the  steps  of  the  apostles;  but  that  after  this  time, 
that  church  became  corrupt.  They  applaud  the  character 
and  acts  of  Pope  Gregory;  they  do  the  same  with  regard  to 
Austin:  shame  would  not  suffer  them  to  leave  their  names  out 
of  the  calendar,  but  still  they  want  to  make  it  out  that  there 
was  no  pure  Christian  religion  after  the  Pope  came  to  be  the 
visible  and  acknowledged  head,  and  to  have  supreme  authority. 
There  are  scarcely  any  two  of  them  that  agree  upon  this  point. 


APPENDIX    E.  395 

Some  say  that  it  was  300,  some  400,  some  500,  and  some  600, 
before  the  Catholic  Church  ceased  to  be  the  true  church  of 
Christ.  But  none  of  them  can  deny,  nor  dare  they  attempt  to, 
that  it  was  the  Christian  religion  as  practised  at  Rome  ;  that  it 
was  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  that  was  introduced  into 
England  in  the  year  59C,  with  all  its  dogmas,  rites,  and  cere- 
monies and  observances,  just  as  they  all  continued  to  exist  at 
the  time  of  the  Reformation,  and  as  they  continue  to  exist  in 
that  church  even  unto  this  J"//. 

14  II.it  further  regarding  Henry  VIII.  (61.)  This  king 
succeeded  his  father,  Henry  VII.,  in  the  year  1509.  He 
succeeded  to  a  great  and  prosperous  kingdom,  a  full  treasury, 
and  a  happy,  contented  people,  who  expected  in  him  the  wis- 
dom of  his  father  without  his  avarice,  which  seemed  to 
have  hi-c-n  that  father's  only  fault.  Henry  VIII.  was  eighteen 
years  old  when  his  father  died.  He  had  had  an  elder  brother, 
named  Arthur,  who,  at  the  early  age  of  twelve  years,  had  been 
betrothed  to  Catherine,  fourth  daughter  of  Ferdinand,  King 
of  Castile  and  Arragon.  When  Arthur  was  fourteen  years  old, 
the  Princess  came  to  England  and  the  marriage  ceremony  was 
performed  ;  but  Arthur,  who  was  a  weak  and  sickly  boy,  died 
before  the  year  was  out,  and  the  marriage  never  was  consum- 
mated; and,  indeed,  who  will  believe  it  could  be?  Henry  wished 
to  marry  Catherine,  and  the  marriage  was  agreed  to  by  the  par- 
ents on  both  sides;  but  it  did  not  take  place  until  after  the 
death  of  Henry  VII.  The  moment  the  young  king  came  to 
the  throne,  he  took  measures  for  his  marriage.  Catherine  being, 
though  only  nominally,  the  widow  of  his  deceased  brother,  it 
was  necessary  to  have  from  the  Pope,  as  supreme  head  of  the 
church,  a  dispensation,  in  order  to  render  the  marriage  lawful 
in  the  eye  of  the  canon  law.  The  dispensation,  to  which  there 
could  be  no  valid  objection,  was  obtained,  and  the  marriage  was, 
amidst  the  rejoicings  of  the  whole  nation,  celebrated  in  June, 
1509,  in  less  than  two  months  after  the  king's  accession. 

"(62.)  With  this  lady,  who  was  beautiful  in  her  youth,  and 
whose  virtues  of  all  sorts  seem  scarcely  ever  to  have  been 
exceeded,  he  lived  in  the  married  state  seventeen  years,  before 
the  end  of  which  he  had  three  sons  and  two  daughters  by  her, 


396  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

one  of  whom  only,  a  daughter,  was  still  alive,  who  afterwards 
was  Mary,  Queen  of  England.     But  now,  at  the  end  of  seven- 

.  teen  years,  he  being  thirty-five  years  of  age,  and  eight  years 
younger  than  the  queen,  and  having  cast  his  eyes  on  a  young 

;  lady,  an  attendant  on  the  queen,  named  Anne  Boleyn,  he,  all 
of  a  sudden,  affected  to  believe  that  he  was  living  in  sin, 

I  because  he  was  married  to  the  widow  of  his  brother;  though  as 
we  have  seen,  the  marriage  between  Catherine  and  the  brother 

'  had  never  been  consummated,  and  though  the  parents  of  both 
parties,  together  with  his  own  council,  unanimously  and  unhesi- 

;  tatingly  approved  of  his  marriage,  which  had  moreover  been 
sanctioned  by  the  Pope,  the  head  of  the  church;  of  the  faith 

i    and  observances  of  which,  Henry  himself  had,  as  we  shall  see 
hereafter,  been  long  since  his  marriage  a  zealous  defender. 
"(63.)<    But  the  tyrant's  passions  were  now  in  motion,  and  he 

\  resolved  to  gratify  his  beastly  last,  cost  what  it  might  in  reputa- 
tion, in  treasure,  or  in  blood.  He  first  applied  to  the  Pope  to 
divorce  him  from  the  queen.  He  was  a  great  favorite  with  the 
Pope;  he  was  very  powerful;  there  were  many  strong  motives 
for  yielding  to  his  request;  but  that  request  was  so  full  of 
injustice,  it  would  have  been  so  cruel  towards  the  virtuous 
queen  to  accede  to  it,  that  the  Pope  could  not  and  did  not 

(    grant  it.  ... 

"  The  tyrant  now  became  furious,  resolved  upon  overthrow- 
ing the  power  of  the  Pope  in  England,  upon  making  himself  ihe 
head  of  the  church  in  this  country,  and  upon  doing  whatever 
I'ls'e  might  be  necessary  to  ensure  the  gratification  of  his  beastly 

\    desires  and  the  glutting  of  his  vengeance. 

u(65.)  .  .  .  The  tyrant,  being  now  both  pope  and  "king,  made 
Cranmer  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  .  .  .  (67.)  It  was  now 
four  or  five  years  since  the  king  and  Cranmer  had  begun  to 
hatch  the  project  of  {\\edivorce;  but,  in  the  meanwhile,  the  king 
had  kept  Anne  Boleyn,  or  in  more  modern  phrase,  she  had  been 
4  under  his  protection,'  for  about  three  years.  .  .  .  (68.)  A  pri- 
vate marriage  took  place  in  January,  1533.  .  .  .  It  became  nec- 
essary to  avow  her  marriage;  it  was  also  necessary  to  press 
onward  the  trial  for  the  divorce;  for  it  might  have  seemed 
i  rather  awkward,  even  amongst  '  reformation '  people,  for  the 


APPENDIX    E.  397 

kin_r  to  have  two  wives  at  the  same  time!    Now,  then,  the  famous    ( 

icsiastical  Judge  Cramner  had  to  play  his  part.  .... 
44  (69.)    The  king  granted  a  license  to  hold  a  spiritual  court    i 

lie  trial  of  the  divorce  of  Queen  Catherine.  .  .  .  Cranmer 
opened  his  court  (at  Dunstable),  and  sent  a  citation  to  the 
queen  to  I  fore  him,  which  citation  she  treated  with  the 

scorn  it  deserved.     When  he  had  kept  his  court  open  the  num-   ' 
her  of  days  required  hy  the  law,  he  pronounced  sentence  against 
the  queen,  declaring  her  marriage  with  the  king  null  from  the    > 

•  )<  ran mer  held  another  court  at  Lambeth; 
at  \vhieh  he  declared  that  the  king  had  been  lawfully  married    j 
to  Anne  Boleyu;  and  that  In;  now  confirmed  the  marriage  by 
.•id./ucftctai  authority,  which  he  derived  from  the 
Hsora  of  the  apostles.  .  .  .  She  (Anne)  was  delivered  of  a  < 
(who  was  aft «  <Jueen  Elizabeth).    This  did  not 

king,  who  want.  ,1  a  son,  and  who  was  quite  monster 

displeased  wiih  heron  this  account.  The  couple  ' 
j"j-r>  -I  <>n  a;  p  i  > ntly  without  quarrelling  for  about  threeyears. 
.  .  .  The  hu>l»and,  however,  had  plenty  of  occupation,  for, 
being  now  *  head  of  the  church,'  he  had  a  deal  to  manage;  he 
man,  to  labor  hard  at  making  a  new  religion,  new 
artieles  of  faith,  new  rules  of  discipline.  .  .  .  Besides  which,  he 
had,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  next  number,  some  of  the  best  men 
in  hi-  kin-d.MM,  and  that  ever  lived  in  any  kingdom  or  country, 
to  6e/iea</,  .  and  cut  into  quarters.  .  .  .  (72)  In  Jan- 

uary, en  Catherine  died.    She  had  been  banished  from 

the  court.     She  had  seen  her  marriage  annulled  by  Cranmer, 
and  her  daughter  and  only  surviving  child  bastardized  by  act  of 
Parliament;  and   that   hu-hand,  who  had  five  children  by  her, 
that  4  reformation  '  Imsband,  had  had  the  barbarity  to  keep  her 
in. m.  and  never  to  suffer  her,  after  her  banishment, 
to  set  her  eyes  on,  that  only  child!  ...  In  just  three  months  . 
and  sixteen    days  from  this  (the  day  of  the  deceased  queen's 
hurial)  she  (Anne)  died  herself;  not,  however,  as  the  real  queen 
had  died,  in  her  bed,  d«-(  pl\  lamented  by  all  the  good,  and  without 
on  earth  to  impute  to  her  a  single  fault,  but  on  a  scaffold,    » 
a  death-warrant  signed  by  her  husband,  and   charged 
With  treason,  adultery,  and  incest.  .  .  .  (75.)   But  before  Anne 


398  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

i  was  executed,  our  friend  Thomas  Cranmer  had  another  tough  job 
to  perform.  The  king,  who  never  did  things  by  halves,  ordered, 
us  '  head  of  the  church^  the  archbishop  to  hold  his  spiritual 
oourt,  and  to  divorce  him  from  Anne.  .  .  .  (76.)  He  cited  the 

t  king  and  queen  to  appear  in  his  4  court '/  His  citation  stated 
that  their  marriage  had  been  unlawful,  that  they  were  living  in 

,  adultery,  and  that,  for  the  '  salvation  of  their  souls ,'  they  should 
come  and  show  cause  why  they  should  not  be  separated.  They 

I  were  just  going  to  be  separated  most  effectually;  for  this  was 
on  the  17th  of  May,  and  Anne,  who  had  been  condemned  to 

1  death  on  the  15th,  was  to  be  and  was  executed  on  the  19th! 
They  both  obeyed  his  citation,  and  appeared  before  him  by  their 
proctors;  and  after  having  heard  these,  Cranmer,  who,  observe, 
afterwards  drew  up  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  covered  up 

I  the  blasphemous  phrase  by  pronouncing, c  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
and  for  the  honor  of  God,'  that  the  marriage  '  was,  and  always 
had  been,  null  and  void 'I  Thus  was  the  daughter,  Elizabeth, 
bastardized  by  the  decision  of  the  very  man  who  had  not  only 
pronounced  her  mother's  marriage  lawful,  but  had  been  the 
contriver  of  that  marriage.  On  the  19th  Anne  was  beheaded  in 
the  Tower,  put  into  an  elm  coffin  and  buried  there.  .  .  .  (77.) 
On  the  15th  she  is  condemned  as  the  wife  of  the  king,  on  the  17th 
she  is  pronounced  never  to  have  been  his  wife,  and  on  the  19th 

j  she  is  executed  for  having  been  his  unfaithful  wife.  .  .  .  What 
man,  with  an  honorable  sentiment  in  his  mind,  is  there,  who 

,  does  not  almost  wish  to  be  a  foreigner,  rather  than  be  the 
countryman  of  Cranmer  and  Henry  the  VIII.?" — WILLIAM 
COBBETT'S  History  of  the  Protestant  Reformation,  chapter 
second,  pages  19  to  35. 

"*  "-It  is  noteworthy  that  the  Constantinople  '  Typecum '  ex- 
pressly forbids  St.  Peter  to  be  called  the  Apostle  of  Eome, 
inasmuch  as  he  was  a  teacher  and  enlightener  of  the  whole 
world;  and  it  hints  that  if  any  place  is  to  be  connected  with  his 
name,  it  should  be  Antioch  (Daniel,  Codex  Lit.  iv.  261)." 
Smith  and  Cheatham's  Dictionary  of  Christian  Antiquities,  page 
106. 


APPENDIX   F.  399 

APPENDIX   F. 


The  following  is  a  fair  and  conservative  presentation  of  the 
:i  and  views  of  Congregational  ists,  which  maybe  road  in 
icction  with  what  is  already  written  of  them,  beginning  on 
page  1G6  of  this  book. 

44  The  Rev.  John  Robinson  is  regarded  as  the  father  of  Con- 
grejj  :s.    He  or^mix. -.1  :i  dissenting  church  in  the  north 

of  En-land  in  lf»n-j,  but  was  driven,  with  his  followers,  by  perse- 
BtaDancL     They  settled  at   Lcvden,  and  there  con- 
dun  «d    thrir  church  according  to  the   principles   which  still 
iil   in  New  England.     There  was  full  sympathy  between 
i   and  his  followers  and  the  Puritans  of  England  in 
some  points,  but  they  differed  in  others.     It  was  the  younger 
Mason's  congregation  that  composed  the  band  of 
rims'    that    sailed   for  America  in  the  'Mayflower'  and 
first  settlement  in  New  England,  in  1020.    There  is 
IH>  'Congregational  Church'  in  this  or  any  other  country,  in 
•  n-e  in  which  the  word  is  usually  applied.     But  there  is  a 
collection    of    Congregational    churches    who    constitute    the 
initiation.    The  Congrcgationalists  define  a  church  to  be 
a|  organization  of  professed  believers  statedly  meeting  at  one 
place,  and  united  together  by  a  covenant  or  agreement,  mutually 
to  watch  over  and  edify  each  other;  and  for  the  maintenance 
of  the  ordinances  of  the  Gospel.     A  church,  as  thus  understood, 
differs  from   a  congregation,  which  includes  all    those  who 
assemble  in  a  place  of  worship,  non-communicants  as  well  as 
mnnicants. 

\   church  also  differs  from  *  a  society,'  which  is  a  legal 

phrase,  intended   to  represent  those  persons  who  are  incor- 

IM. rated  1>\  the  law  of  the,  land  for  the  purpose  of  holding  and 

ferring  property  and  providing  for  the  expenses  of  the 

church.      The  church   also  differs  from  the   *  parish,'  which 

laM  is  a  tt-nn  properly  employed  only  to  designate  territorial 

limits.     Congregaiionalisto  insist  upon  the  competence  of  each 

church  to  elect  its  own  officers. 

44  The  internal  structure  of  Congregationalist  societies  is  of 


400  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTPIOOD. 

the  simplest  nature.  Their  only  officers  are  pastors  and  deacons, 
for  the  office  of  ruling  elder  was  abolished  about  the  year  1745, 
first  at  Plymouth,  and  afterwards  in  all  the  churches. 

"  The  deacons  are  elected  from  and  by  the  church  members. 
The  pastors  are  chosen  by  the  members  of  the  church  from 
among  those  persons  who  are  already  in  the  ministry, 
and  settled  over  the  churches,  or  are  recommended  by  well- 
known  clergymen  as  fit  to  assume  the  functions  of  the  pas- 
toral office.  In  electing  a  pastor  it  is  usual  for  the  c  church ' 
to  nominate  a  person  to  the  '  society,9  and  upon  the 
concurrence  of  the  latter,  to  give  an  invitation  to  the  latter 
to  settle.  Provision  for  the  pastor  is  made  either  by  a 
voluntary  subscription  or  a  tax,  or  from  the  pew  rents. 
When  a  pastor  who  is  selected  accepts  the  congregation  ten- 
dered him,  he  is  inducted  iuto  office  by  a  council  of  ministers; 
being  ordained  by  them  if  he  has  never  before  been  set  apart 
to  the  ministry;  otherwise  simply  installed.  .  .  .  The  pastor 
is  the  moderator  of  the  church,  the  spiritual  counsellor  of  its 
members,  their  authorized  teacher,  and  has  full  control  over 
the  pulpit,  administers  the  ordinance  of  baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper,  and  performs  the  marriage  ceremony.  The 
deacons  distribute  the  alms  of  the  church,  visit  the  sick  and 
needy,  and  are  the  counsellors  of  the  minister  whenever  he 
desires  the  benefit  of  their  advice.  Congregationalists  believe 
in  the  purity  of  the  ministry,  and  hold  that  there  is  but  one 
order  of  ministers.  The  deacons  they  regard  as  belonging  to 
the  laity.  Licentiates  are  not  ministers,  but  merely  candidates 
for  the  sacred  office.  Those  ministers  who  are  employed  to 
preach  to  the  church  from  one  year  to  the  other,  without  being 
installed,  are  termed  supplies.  The  terms  bishop  and  elder 
are  not  often  used  by  Congregationalists,  but  when  they  are 
employed,  are  intended  merely  to  represent  the  pastors. 
Excommunication  is  enforced  as  the  penalty  upon  those  who 
make  themselves  amenable  to  church  discipline  by  irregulari- 
ties of  conduct. 

"  The  liturgy  and  form  of  worship  of  Congregationalists  are 
simple.  .  .  .  The  doctrine,  of  the  Orthodox  Congregationalists 
are  in  all  essential  points  the  same  as  those  taught  in  the  West- 


APPENDIX    *'  401 

minster  Confession  of  1643.  In  other  words,  they  are  Calvin- 
Istfl  in  faith,  believing  in  absolute  decrees  in  reference  to  man's 
salvation.  They  believe  in  man's  total  depravity  by  nature, 
and  in  his  eternal  punishment  in  hell  if  he  does  not  repent 
before  death.  They  admit  infants'  baptism  and  practise  it. 
In  17S5  the  Congregationalists  were  divided,  and  now  form 
two  distinct  organizations:  those  having  the  orthodox  faith,  and 
tho>c  whose  religious  views  are  Unitarian.  The  latter  control 
Ilarvi'id  rnivcrsitv." —  Ifistory  of  Religious  Denominations  of 
the  World,  both  ancient  and  modern,  in  the  Holy  Bible,  by  Gay 
Bros.  &  Co.,  27  Barclay  Street,  New  York. 

EVANGELISTS,  PATRIARCHS,  PROPHETS. 

These  officers  are  alluded  1o  here  in  order  to  present,  as 
nearly  as  possible,  the  relative  positions  held  by  them  in  the 
j  ( 'hri-nan  Church,  so  far  as  may  be  learned  from  history, 
'tradition,  or  the  ancient  laniruaijes,  although  it  is  but  little  that 
is  known  by  even  the  most  learned  and  sagacious  of  men.  It 
is  conceded,  however,  from  what  is  known,  that  the  classes  of 
officers  named  formed  a  part  of  the  early  Christian  ministry. 

EVANGELISTS. 

"  The  constitution  of  the  Apostolic  Church  included  an  order 
or  body  of  men  known  as  Evangelists.  The  absence  of  any 
detailed  account  of  the  organization  and  practical  working  of 
the  church  of  the  first  century  leaves  us  in  some  uncertainty  as 
to  their  functions  and  positions. 

"  The  meaning  of  the  name,  *  the  publishers  of  glad  tidings,' 
seems  common  to  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry  generally, 
:n  Kph.  iv.  11  .  .  .  Assuming  that  the  apostles  here,  whether 
limited  to  the  twelve  or  not,  are  those  who  were  looked  on  as 
the  special  delegates  and  representatives  of  Christ,  and  there- 
fore higher  than  all  others  in  their  authority,  and  that  the 
prophet-  w<-ie  men  speaking,  under  the  immediate  impulse  of 
the  Spirit,  words  that  were  mighty  iu  their  effects  on  men's 
is  and  consciences,  it  would  follow  that  the  evangelists  had 
a  function  subordinate  to  theirs,  yet  more  conspicuous,  and  so 
far  higher  than  that  of  the  pastor's  who  watched  over  a  church 


402  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

that  had  been  founded,  and  of  the  teachers  who  carried  on  the 
work  of  systematic  instruction.  This  passage  accordingly  would 
lead  us  to  think  of  them  as  standing  between  the  two  other 
groups  sent  forth  as  missionary  preachers  of  the  gospel  by  the 
first,  and  as  such  preparing  the  way  for  the  labors  of  the  second. 
u  The  same  inference  would  seem  to  follow  the  occurrence  of 
the  word  as  applied  to  Philip  in  Acts  xxi.  8.-'  —  Smith's  Bible 
Dictionary,  page  786,  by  HACKETT. 

PATRIARCH. 

"  The  title  patriarch  seems  to  have  been  introduced  into  the 
-Christian  church  from  the  latter  organization  of  the  Jews.  In 
pre-Christian  times  there  was  a  subdivision  of  the  tribe,  and 
one  of  the  titles  of  the  heads  of  these  subdivisions  was 
patriarch.  .  .  .  The  title  seems  to  have  been  in  use  in  the 
Christian  churches  before  its  extinction  among  the  Jews.  The* 
earliest  references  to  it  are  vague;  nor  is  it  clear  in  what  sense  it 
was  used,  or  to  whom  it  was  restricted.  ...  In  its  most  impor- 
tant use  the  title  has  been  confined  to  the  bishops  of  the  five 
sees  of  Rome,  Constantinople,  Alexandria,  Antioch,  and  Jeru- 
salem."—  Smith  and  Cheatham's  Dictionary  of  Christian  An- 
tiquities, page  1573. 

PROPHETS. 

"  We  find,  therefore,  that  there  were  prophets  in  the  oldest 
church,  that  of  Jerusalem  (Acts  xi.  27;  xv.  32),  and  again  that 
there  were  '  prophets  and  teachers  '  in  the  church  at  Antioch. 
(Acts  xiii.  1.)  These  were  not  office  bearers  chosen  by  the 
congregation,  but  preachers  raised  up  by  the  Spirit  and  conferred 
as  gifts  on  the  church.  When  Paul  says  (1  Cor.  xii.  28;  cf.  Epli. 
iv.  11),  '  God  has  set  some  in  the  church,  first,  apostles;  second, 
as  prophets;  third,  as  teachers,'  he  points  to  a  state  of  things 
which  in  his  time  prevailed  in  all  the  churches,  both  of  Jewish 
and  heathen  origin.  We  here  learn  from  Paul  that  the  prophets 
occupied  the  second  position  in  point  of  dignity;  and  we  see 
from  another  passage  (1  Cor.  xiv.)  that  they  were  distinguished 
from  the  teachers  by  their  speaking  under  the  influence  of  in- 


APPENDIX    F.  403 

spiration, —  not,  however,  like  the  'speakers  in  tongues,'  in 
unintelligible  ejaculations  and  disconnected  words,  but  in  artic- 
ulate, rational,  edifying  speech. 

"  Until  recently  it  was  impossible  to  form  any  distinct  idea  of 
the  Christian  prophets  in  the  post-apostolic  age,  not  so  much 
from  want  of  materials  as  because  what  evidence  existed  was 
not  sufficiently  clear  and  connected.  It  was  understood,  indeed, 
that  they  had  maintained  their  places  in  the  churches  till  the 
end  of  the  second  century,  and  that  the  great  conflict  with  what 
is  known  as  Montanism  had  first  proved  fatal  to  them,  but  a 
dear  conception  of  their  position  and  influence  in  the  churches 
was  not  to  be  had.  But  the  discovery  by  Bryennios,  of  the 
ancient  Christian  work,  called  ±^*M™V  &>&**<*.  anoar6\^^  has  im- 
ineii-rly  extended  the  range  of  our  knowledge.  .  .  . 

"The  most  important  facts  known  at  present  about  the  vnan* 
ner  of  life,  the  influence,  and  history  of  the  early  Christian 
prophets  are  the  following:  (1.)  Down  to  the  close  of  the  second 
century  the  prophets  (or  prophetesses)  were  regarded  as  an 
essential  element  in  a  church  possessing  the  Holy  Ghost.  Their 
existence  iraa  believed  in,  and  they  did  actually  exist,  not  only 
in  the  Catholic  congregations  —  if  the  expression  may  be  used— : 
but  also  in  the  Marcionite  church  and  the  Gnostic  societies. 
Not  a  few  Christian  prophets  are  known  to  us  by  name;  as 
Agabus,  Judas,  and  Silas  in  Jerusalem;  Barnabas,  Simon  Niger, 
etc.,  in  Antioch;  in  Asia  Minor,  the  daughters  of  Philip,  Quad- 
ratus,  Ammia,  Polycarp,  Meleto,  Montanus,  Maxmilla,  Pris- 
cilla;  in  Rome,  Hermas;  among  the  followers  of  Basilides,' 
Barkabbas  and  Barkop;  in  the  community  of  Apelles,  Philu- 
mene,  etc. 

"  (2.)  Till  the  middle  of  the  second  century  the  prophets  were 
the  regular  preachers  of  the  churches,  without  being  attached 
to  any  particular  congregation.  While  the  'apostles'  (i.e., 
itinerating  missionaries)  were  obliged  to  preach  from  place  to 
place,  the  prophets  were  at  liberty  either,  like  the  teachers,  to 
settle  in  a  certain  church,  or  travel  from  one  to  another.  (3.)  In 
the  time  of  Paul  the  form  of  prophecy  was  reasoned  exhorta- 
tion in  a  state  of  inspiration;  but  very  frequently  the  inspiration 
took  the  form  of  ecstasy  —  the  prophet  lost  control  of  himself, 


404  PRESIDENCY    AND    PRIESTHOOD. 

so  that  he  did  not  remember  afterwards  what  he  had  said.  In 
the  Gentile  Christian  churches,  under  the  influence  of  pagan 
associations,  ecstasy  was  the  rule.  (4.)  With  regard  to  the 
matter  of  prophecy,  it  might  embrace  anything  that  was  neces- 
sary, or  for  the  edification  of  the  church.  The  prophets  not  only 
consoled  and  exhorted  by  the  recital  of  what  God  had  done  and 
predictions  of  the  future,  but  they  uttered  extempore  thanks- 
givings to  the  congregational  assemblies,  and  delivered  special 
directions,  which  might  extend  to  the  most  minute  details,  as, 
for  example,  the  disposal  of  church  funds.  (5. )  It  was  the  duty 
of  the  prophets  to  follow  in  all  respects  the  example  of  the 
Lord,  and  to  put  in  practice  what  they  preached.  But  an  ascetic 
life  was  expected  of  them  only  when,  like  the  apostles,  they 
went  about  as  missionaries,  in  which  case  the  rules  in  Matt.  x. 
applied  to  them.  Whenever,  on  the  contrary,  they  settled  in  a 
place,  they  had  a  claim  to  a  liberal  maintenance  at  the  hands  of 
$ie  congregation.  The  author  of  the  AtSa;^  even  compares  them 
to  the  high  priests  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  considers  them 
entitled  to  the  first  fruits  of  the  Levitical  law.  In  reality,  they 
might  justly  be  compared  to  the  priests,  in  so  far  as  they  were 
the  mouthpieces  of  the  congregation  in  public  thanksgiving."  — 
Encyclopedia  Britannica,  Vol.  XIX.,  page  822. 


APPENDIX  G.  405 


APPENDIX  G. 

THE  PRESIDENT     OR     CHIEF   OFFICER     IN    THE     CHURCH     IN   THE 
TIME  OF  THE  APOSTLES.      JAMES  OR  PETER,  WHICH? 

Since  the  publication  of  Presidency  and  Priesthood,  in 
which  the  claim  is  made  that  James,  the  Lord's  brother,  was 
the  chief  or  presiding  officer  in  the  church  in  the  time 
of  the  apostles,  various  opinions  have  been  passed  and 
criticisms  made  in  opposition  to  the  position,  and  a 
theory  has  been  advanced  that  Peter  was  the  president  and 
visible  head  of  the  church  in  his  time.  Chief  among  the  pub- 
lications attacking  the  position  taken  in  Presidency  and 
Priesthood  is  the  Appendix  to  the  Exegesis  of  the  Priest- 
hood, by  Elder  G.  T.  Griffiths,  published  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
1902. 

As  truth, — and  to  ascertain  the  proper  station  or  place  in 
the  organization  of  the  church  in  the  first  century  of  these 
distinguished  gospel  workers, — is  the  object  doubtless,  of  all 
the  several  critics  and  writers  engaged  in  this  research,  and 
each  seems  quite  willing  to  have  his  position  tried  in  an  open 
and  fair  manner,  the  final  result  must  be  good  to  the  stu- 
dent and  general  reader,  and  the  attainment  by  all  of  a  more 
correct,  scriptural  view  touching  the  question,  than  that 
which  has  heretofore  been  arrived  at  through  the  accumu- 
lated traditions  of  the  past. 

At  the  outset  of  this  examination,  note  is  taken  of  the 
alarm  expressed  by  a  few,  of  the  doubt  that  must  be  cast 
upon  the  work  of  the  body  by  the  attitude  of  two  prominent 
officers  in  the  apostolic  quorum  engaging  in  a  controversy 
over  church  matters,  or  church  history.  What  an  error !  The 
church  of  Christ  is  founded  in  the  principles  of  free  and  full 
discussion;  open  and  fair  examination  and  research,  the  suc- 
cessful foes  of  error  and  superstition  whenever  and  wher- 
ever wielded,  and  it  may  well  be  said  that  the  old  ship 
of  Zion  is  being  guided  safely  when  men  and  women  are 
left  free  to  think  and  canvass  all  questions  pertaining  to  its 
cargo  or  voyage.  It  was  from  such  a  sure  and  divine  basis 


406  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

as  this  that  the  Apostle  Paul  could  oppose  in  controversy  the 
acts  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  because,  in  his  estimation  of  the 
case,  "He  [Peter]  was  to  be  blamed." — Galatians  2:  11. 

It  is  true  that  the  author  of  the  Exegesis  of  the  Priest- 
hood sets  forth  his  views  with  a  hint  at  secure  intrench- 
ment,  and  that  serene  complacency  that  challenges  criticism, 
but  since  these  are  not  the  most  certain  marks  of  correct- 
ness of  position,  it  is  eminently  proper  that  Presidency  and 
Priesthood  should  be  heard  in  reply.  It  is  unpleasant,  how- 
ever, to  be  forced  into  controversy  with  so  good  a  friend  as 
Elder  Griffiths;  but  he  has  announced  that  he  is  "con- 
scientious" in  the  matter,  and  as  there  may  be  others  fol- 
lowing conscientiously  the  same  view  held  by  him,  the  more 
important  it  becomes  to  continue  the  examination. 

There  being  no  Bible  text  that  makes  a  clear  statement  in 
favor  of  either  position,  the  truth  can  only  be  determined  by 
a  comparison  of  what  is  presented  on  either  side  in  sup- 
port of  the  respective  claims,  in  regard  to  which  every  one 
is  entitled  to  his  or  her  opinion.  Unfortunately  the  article 
of  Elder  Griffiths  is  lengthy,  and  written  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  require  a  lengthy  reply;  but  those  interested  can  afford 
to  read,  if  we  can  afford  to  write. 

There  is  nothing  new  in  the  claim  that  Peter  was  at  the 
head.  This  simply  follows  in  a  general  sense  Rome  and 
Utah;  the  former  puts  the  church  on  Peter;  and  the  latter 
puts  Peter  on  the  church.  Hoary  sentiment  is  to  be  met  in 
regard  to  Peter  in  either  case.  The  Bible  puts  Peter  in  the 
church.  (1  Corinthians  12:28.) 

To  begin  with,  the  writer  of  the  Appendix  fortifies  him- 
self with  a  statement,  said  to  have  been  made  by  Joseph 
Smith  the  Seer,  found  in  the  Millennial  Star  for  1855,  pp. 
310,  311,  which  makes  him  to  say  that  "the  Savior,  Moses, 
and  Elias,  gave  the  keys  to  Peter,  James,  and  John  on  the 
Mount  when  they  were  transfigured  before  him."  So  in 
the  mind  of  the  writer  of  the  Appendix,  these  three  were 
constituted  a  first  presidency,  upon  the  Mount.  Which,  if 
true,  Jesus  should  have  abdicted,  or  declined  serving  in  that 
capacity  longer,  for  it  would  appear  unseemly  or  confusing 


APPENDIX  G.  407 

to  have  two  sets  of  first  presidents  occupying  at  the  same 
time  and  in  so  small  a  territory. 

In  the  first  place,  Joseph  could  not  have  said  anything  of 
the  kind  as  claimed  in  the  light  here  presented,  for  it  was 
not  true;  there  is  no  fact  to  support  such  a  presumption  any- 
where, and  we  prefer  to  say  that  he  has  been  misstated. 
People  will  have  to  learn  that  even  prophets  must  talk  in 
harmony  with  facts  as  known,  or  they  are  not  believed. 
Peter,  James,  and  John  were  not  "transfigured  before  him," 
as  claimed.  It  was  Jesus  that  was  "transfigured."  If  Joseph 
ever  said  anything  at  all  about  this  transaction,  he  certainly 
could  not  have  been  properly  reported,  and  this  is  not  singu- 
lar, as  there  were  no  shorthand  reporters  to  take  it  down, 
and  only  scraps  and  partial  statements  could  have  been 
secured  at  best. 

This  was  published  by  the  Utah  people  long  after  Joseph 
Smith's  death.  It  is  in  harmony  with  their  philosophy  that 
the  president  of  the  Quorum  of  Twelve  by  right  succeeds  as 
the  permanent  president  of  the  Church,  so  there  is  nothing 
strange  that  it  is  made  to  appear  in  the  light  it  does,  as  it 
would  be  easy  to  read  into  it  what  was  not  said.  The  follow- 
ing shows  that  that  could  have  occurred:  "Since  the  death 
of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  the  history  has  been  carefully  revised 
under  the  strict  inspection  of  President  Brigham  Young,  and 
approved  by  him."  (History  of  the  Church,  by  Utah  His- 
torian, page  E.)  This  will  be  sufficient  as  to  the  authority 
for  our  statement. 

Second.  There  is  no  word  upon  record  by  either  party 
who  was  upon  the  mount  of  transfiguration,  that  even  hints 
that  Peter,  James,  and  John  were  either  selected,  received 
"keys,"  or  were  appointed  or  ordained  to  preside  over  the 
church.  Peter,  James,  and  John  were  present  as  witnesses 
on  that  occasion,  and  nothing  more.  Moses  and  Elias  con- 
versed with  Jesus.  It  was  Jesus  that  was  both  "transfigured" 
and  administered  unto  upon  the  occasion.  Moses  and  Elias 
"spoke  of  his  decease  which  he  should  accomplish  at  Jerusa- 
lem." The  apostles  were  asleep  on  the  ground  much  of  the 
time,  and  what  Peter  did  say  he  uttered  not  knowing  what 


408  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

he  said.  The  apostles  were  afraid.  Jesus  had  promised  that 
they  should  see  the  "kingdom  of  God  come  in  power."  This 
they  evidently  did  see,  and  were  also  shown  how  they  were 
to  put  off  this  mortal  tabernacle,  by  and  by,  and  they  heard 
the  voice,  "This  is  my  beloved  Son;  .  .  .  hear  ye  him."  It 
was  Jes'us  that  received  honor  and  glory,  not  Peter,  James, 
and  John.  The  apostles  bore  witness  to  what  they  did  see, 
as  on  other  occasions.  They  were  witnesses,  not  presidents. 
(See  2  Peter  1:  17,  18;  Matthew  17:  1-9;  Mark  9:  27;  Luke 
9:  28-34;  Acts  1:  8,  21,  22;  22:  32;  3:  15;  4:  20-23;  5:  33;  1 
Peter  5:  1;  2  Peter  1:  16.) 

Third.  There  was  no  call  for  Moses  and  Elias  to  appear 
in  order  to  confer  keys  and  authority  on  Peter,  James,  and 
John.  Jesus  was  on  earth  and  outranked  them  in  every  way. 
"When  he  bringeth  his  first  begotten  into  the  world,  he  saith, 
And  let  all  the  angels  of  God  worship  him." — Hebrews  1:6; 
1  Peter  3 :  22.  Christ  could  have  constituted  Peter,  James, 
and  John  a  presidency,  had  he  been  so  minded,  without  the 
aid  of  either  Moses  or  Elias,  or  even  the  transfiguration 
scene.  That  scene  was  for  a  very  different  purpose.  Jesus 
had  said,  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  There  be  some  standing 
here,  which  shall  not  taste  of  death,  till  they  see  the  Son 
of  man  coming  in  his  kingdom." — Matthew  16 :  28.  "And 
after  six  days,  Jesus  taketh  Peter,  James,  and  John,  his 
brother,  and  bringeth  them  up  into  a  high  mountain  apart, 
and  was  transfigured  before  them:  and  his  face  did  shine 
as  the  sun,  and  his  raiment  was  white  as  the  light.  And, 
behold  there  appeared  unto  them  Moses  and  Elias,  talking 
with  him." — Matthew  17:1-3.  The  power  and  coming  of 
Jesus  Christ  was  shown  forth,  his  decease  at  Jerusalem  fore- 
told— how  this  mortal  tabernacle  is  to  be  put  off  in  death, 
}\e  testimony  of  the  Father  to  the  fact  that  Jesus  was  the 
5on  of  God  was  renewed  unto  them,  but  not  one  word  is 
said  about  the  appointment  of  a  presidency,  ordination,  or 
the  bestowal  of  keys;  all  of  this  is  assumed  and  worked  in 
by  those  claiming  Peter  was  at  the  head,  without  a  single 
fact  to  support  it. 

Fourth.     Just  a  few  days  after  the  transfiguration  scene 


APPENDIX  G.  409 

was  the  time  alluded  to  when  the  dispute  arose  among  the 
twelve  as  to  which  should  be  the  greatest.  Had  Peter,  James, 
and  John  been  selected,  appointed,  ordained,  or  received  keys 
upon  the  Mount,  as  chief  leaders  and  presidents,  this  gave 
them  a  fine  opportunity  to  make  known  their  rights.  But 
no,  they  were  silent  about  anything  of  the  kind  having  taken 
place.  When  Jesus  questioned  them  concerning  the  dispute 
had  on  the  way,  he,  too,  had  forgotten  all  about  the  advance- 
ment of  the  three,  the  receiving  of  keys,  or  ordination  on  the 
Mount.  Why  did  he  not  tell  the  disciples  that  this  favored 
three  had  been  selected,  received  keys,  ordination,  and 
appointment  as  a  presidency,  and  thus  for  ever  have  settled 
the  controversy?  But  no,  he,  too,  was  as  silent  about  any 
such  thing  having  occurred  as  the  other  three,  for  the  evident 
reason  that  no  such  thing  ever  occurred  upon  the  Mount  or 
elsewhere.  Moses  and  Elias  did  not  appear  on  the  Mount 
to  create  a  presidency,  by  giving  keys,  ordaining  or  appoint- 
ing a  head  over  Jesus.  It  was  Christ  that  received  "honor 
and  glory,"  and  the  testimony  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ  was 
renewed  unto  the  apostles  by  the  voice  heard,  "This  is  my 
beloved  Son;  .  .  .  hear  ye  him."  The  apostles  were  wit- 
nesses, so  Peter  testified,  "We  were  eye  witnesses  of  his 
majesty." 

Again,  Moses  and  Elias,  had  they  been  so  disposed,  could 
not  have  set  apart  or  ordained  a  presidency  upon  the  Mount, 
by  any  known  rule,  and  certainly  they  would  not  have  done  so 
by  any  unknown  rule,  or  right  of  law  or  precedent.  "Every 
president  of  the  high  priesthood  ...  is  to  be  ordained  by 
the  direction  of  a  high  council  or  general  conference." — Doc- 
trine and  Covenants  17:  17.  Was  there  a  general  conference 
or  high  council  called  upon  the  Mount?  The  transfiguration 
scene  will  not  support  the  contention  or  theory  that  Peter, 
James,  and  John  were  constituted  a  first  presidency  over 
the  church  at  Jerusalem  at  the  time  of  the  Savior's  trans- 
figuration, for  there  were  neither  keys  bestowed,  appointment 
made,  nor  ordination  received.  Hence  when  the  claim  for 
the  transfiguration  scene  is  examined  it  fails  to  support  the 
contention  made  for  it. 


410  PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

It  is  true  that  Jesus  said  to  Peter,  "And  I  will  give  unto 
thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven:  and  whatsoever 
thou  shalt  bind  on  earth,  shall  be  bound  in  heaven;  and 
whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth,  shall  be  loosed  in 
heaven." — Matthew  16 :  19.  But  Jesus  evidently  intended 
that  the  others  of  the  twelve  should  share  in  this  authority 
as  well  as  Peter,  although  Peter  was  the  one  named 
in  the  address.  Jesus  addressed  them  all  when  he  put 
his  question,  Peter  answering  as  was  common  for  him  to  do, 
and  no  doubt  his  answer  was  theirs  also.  The  full  mean- 
ing of  what  the  Savior  said  may  be  seen  in  his  statement  to 
the  twelve  after  his  resurrection:  "Then  said  Jesus  to  them 
again,  Peace  be  unto  you:  as  my  Father  hath  sent  me,  even 
so  send  I  you.  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  breathed  on 
them,  and  saith  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost :  whose- 
soever sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them;  and 
whosesoever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained." — John 
20 :  21-23.  This  referred  to  the  power  conferred  on  the 
apostles  to  qualify  them  to  carry  out  the  commission  to  be 
given  them,  set  forth  in  Mark  16:  15:  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 

The  same  view  is  presented  when  the  twelve  in  this  last 
dispensation  were  authorized;  the  instruction  is  as  follows: 
"Verily,  thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  you  my  servant,  Thomas, 
I  have  heard  thy  prayers,  and  thine  alms  have  come  up  as 
a  memorial  before  me,  in  behalf  of  those  thy  brethren  who 
were  chosen  to  bear  testimony  of  my  name,  and  to  send  it 
abroad  among  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues,  and  people; 
and  ordained  through  the  instrumentality  of  my  servants. 
.  .  .  Let  thy  heart  be  of  good  cheer  before  my  face,  and 
thou  shall  bear  record  of  my  name,  not  only  unto  the  Gen- 
tiles, but  also  unto  the  Jews;  and  thou  shalt  send  forth  my 
words  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.  .  .  .  Now,  I  say  unto  you, 
— and  what  I  say  unto  you  I  say  unto  all  the  twelve, — Arise 
and  gird  up  your  loins,  take  up  your  cross,  follow  me  and 
feed  my  sheep." — Doctrine  and  Covenants  105 :  1-6.  This 
disposes  of  the  idea  that  no  one  was  to  feed  the  "sheep"  but 
Peter.  But  we  read  further:  "and  again  I  say  unto  you, 


•     - 


APPENDIX  G.  411 

that  whosoever  ye  shall  send  in  my  name,  by  the  voice  of 
your  brethren,  the  twelve,  duly  recommended  and  authorized 
by  you  shall  have  power  to  open  the  door  of  my  kingdom 
unto  any  nation  whithersoever  ye  shall  send  them"  etc. — 
Ibid.,  paragraph  8.  It  really  looks  as  though  the  twelve 
hold  some  "keys  of  the  kingdom"  and  can  represent  that 
kingdom  abroad,  as  well  as  at  home,  and  all  within  the 
meaning  of  the  phrase  ("as  pertaining  to  the  twelve")  that 
is  set  out  as  having  such  restricted  meaning  in  the  Appendix. 
The  Lord,  speaking  of  this  authority,  says,  "But  purify 
your  hearts  before  me,  and  then  go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  my  gospel  unto  every  creature  who  has  not 
received  it,  and  he  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be 
saved,  and  he  that  believeth  not,  and  is  not  baptized,  shall 
be  damned.  For  unto  you  (the  twelve),  and  those  (the  first 
presidency),  who  are  appointed  with  you  to  be  your  coun- 
selors and  your  leaders,  is  the  power  of  this  priesthood  given, 
for  the  last  days  and  for  the  last  time,  in  the  which  is  the 
dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times,  which  power  you  hold 
in  connection  with  all  those  who  have  received  a  dispensa- 
tion at  any  time  from  the  beginning  of  the  creation;  for 
verily  I  say  unto  you,  the  keys  of  the  dispensation  which 
ye  have  received,  have  come  down  from  the  fathers;  and 
last  of  all  being  sent  down  from  heaven  unto  you.  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  Behold  how  great  is  your  calling!" — Ibid., 
paragraphs  11,  12,  and  13.  (The  italics  are  mine  to  call 
special  attention  of  reader.)  There  are  "keys,"  a  "calling," 
and  authority  enough  here  bestowed  for  Peter  and  associates 
("as  pertaining  to  the  twelve"),  or  any  one  else  to  bear  the 
keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  in  the  full  sense  set  out  in 
the  Scriptures,  and,  too,  without  being  first  presidents  of 
the  church  or  their  being  changed  from  the  apostolic  quorum. 
That  there  may  be  no  mistake  about  the  authority,  power, 
and  keys  conferred  upon  the  church  in  both  ancient  and 
modern  times,  and  those  who  hold  these  keys,  we  cite  the 
following:  "The  Melchisedec  priesthood  holds  the  right  of 
presidency,  and  has  power  and  authority  over  all  the  offices 


412  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

in   the  church,   in   all   ages   of  the  world,   to   administer   in 
spiritual  things."— Ibid.,  104 :  3. 

Who  holds  this  authority  in  chief?  Answer:  "For  unto 
you  (the  twelve),  and  those  (the  first  presidency,  who  are 
appointed  with  you,  to  be  your  counselors  and  your  leaders, 
is  the  power  of  this  priesthood  given  for  the  last  days  and 
for  the  last  time,"  etc.— Ibid.,  105 :  12.  Again,  "the  twelve 
traveling  counselors  are  called  to  be  the  twelve  apostles,  or 
special  witnesses  of  the  name  of  Christ,  in  all  the  world; 
thus  differing  from  other  officers  in  the  church  in  the  duties 
of  their  calling.  And  they  form  a  quorum  equal  in  authority 
and  power  to  the  three  presidents  previously  mentioned." — 
Ibid.,  104:  11.  Also,  "The  twelve  are  a  traveling,  presiding 
high  council,  to  officiate  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  under  the 
direction  of  the  presidency  of  the  church  and  regulate  all  the 
affairs  of  the  same,  in  all  nations;  first  unto  the  Gentiles, 
and  secondly  unto  the  Jews." — Ibid.,  paragraph  12.  The 
Lord  counseled  the  twelve,  "Exalt  not  yourselves;  rebel  not 
against  my  servant  Joseph,  for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  am 
with  him,  and  my  hand  shall  be  over  him,  and  the  keys  which 
I  have  given  unto  him,  and  also  to  youward,  shall  not  be 
taken  from  him  till  I  come." — Ibid.,  105 :  6.  In  the  distribu- 
tion of  "keys"  thus  conferred,  Thomas  B.  Marsh  is  set  forth 
as  favored  as  was  Peter:  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  my 
servant  Thomas,  thou  art  the  man  whom  I  have  chosen  to 
hold  the  keys  of  my  kingdom  (as  pertaining  to  the  twelve) 
abroad  among  all  nations,  that  thou  mayest  be  my  servant 
to  unlock  the  door  of  my  kingdom  in  all  places  where  my 
servant  Joseph,  and  my  servant  Sidney,  and  my  servant 
Hyrum,  can  not  come;  for  on  them  I  have  laid  the  burden 
of  all  the  churches  for  a  little  season;  wherefore,  whitherso- 
ever they  shall  send  you,  go  ye,  and  I  will  be  with  you,"  etc. 
— Ibid.,  paragraph  7.  No  one  need  fail  to  see  the  similarity 
of  keys,  authority,  and  commission  here  conferred  upon 
Thomas  B.  Marsh  and  associates,  and  that  which  was  given 
to  Peter  and  companions  at  Jerusalem  (Matthew  16:  19; 
John  20:23).  Alike  keys,  authority,  and  commission — not 
as  a  presidency,  but  to  travel  in  all  the  world. 


APPENDIX  G.  413 

Section  80,  paragraph  1,  Doctrine  and  Covenants  is  cited 
by  the  opposition:  "Unto  whom  I  have  given  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom,  which  belongeth  always  unto  the  presidency  of  the 
high  priesthood."  Certainly;  but  who  constitutes  the  "presi- 
dency of  the  high  priesthood"?  Answer:  "For  unto  you 
(the  twelve)  and  those  (the  first  presidency)  who  are 
appointed  with  you,  to  be  your  counselors  and  your  leaders, 
is  the  power  of  this  priesthood  given,  for  the  last  days  and 
for  the  last  time,  in  the  which  as  the  dispensation  of  the 
fullness  of  times,  which  power  you  hold  in  connection  with 
all  those  who  have  received  a  dispensation  at  any  time  from 
the  beginning  of  creation;  for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  The 
keys  of  the  dispensation  which  you  have  received  (the  twelve 
and  first  presidency),  have  come  down  from  the  fathers; 
and  last  of  all,  being  sent  down  from  heaven  unto  you." — 
Ibid.,  105:  12.  Again,  "The  quorums  in  respect  to  authority 
are  designed  to  take  precedence  in  office  as  follows:  .  .  .  the 
parallels  are:  in  the  presidency,  the  president  and  his  coun- 
selors; in  the  second  presidency,  the  twelve;  in  the  mission- 
ary work,  first  the  twelve." — Ibid.,  122:9.  The  keys  were 
conveyed  to  this  second  presidency,  as  follows:  "And  the 
keys  which  I  have  given  unto  him,  and  also  to  youward,  shall 
not  be  taken  from  him  till  I  come."  So  there  is  a  distribu- 
tion df  keys  and  authority;  the  first  presidency  hold  the 
keys  "pertaining"  to  it;  and  the  second  presidency  hold 
the  keys  "pertaining"  to  it;  and  all  keys  held  by  either  presi- 
dency are  "keys  of  the  kingdom."  These  two  presidencies 
constitute  the  "presidency  of  the  high  priesthood;"  not  to 
mention  the  seventies  and  others  who  hold  keys.  It  will 
be  readily  seen  that  there  are  "keys  of  the  kingdom" 
involved  here  that  "pertain"  to  the  second  presidency  of  the 
"high  priesthood,"  that  answer  to  every  point  of  power 
rind  "keys"  that  were  conferred  on  Peter,  without  an  implica- 
tion or  hint  that  he  was  to  be  appointed  a  member  of  the 
quorum  of  the  first  presidency.  Hence  section  80  of  Doctrine 
and  Covenants  does  not  prove  nor  sustain  "emphatically," 
that  Peter,  James,  and  John  were  constituted  a  first  presi- 
dency over  the  church  at  Jerusalem.  Their  calling  and  com- 


414  PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

mission  forbid  it.  Their  constant  labors  abroad  forbid  it. 
Peter  and  associates  constituted  the  second  presidency. 
Christ  was  the  first  president,  and  after  his  ascension 
another  was  chosen.  So  we  read:  "Of  necessity,  there  are 
presidents,  or  presiding  offices,  growing  out  of,  or  appointed 
of,  or  from  among  those  who  who  are  ordained  to  the  several 
offices  in  these  two  priesthoods.  Of  the  Melchisedec  priest- 
hood, three  presiding  high  priests,  chosen  by  the  body, 
appointed  and  ordained  to  that  office,"  etc. — Ibid.,  104:  11. 
Clement  represents  it  thus:  "Peter,  James,  and  John,  after 
the  ascension  of  our  Savior,  though  they  had  been  preferred 
by  our  Lord,  did  not  contend  for  the  honor,  but  chose  James 
the  Just  as  bishop  of  Jerusalem." — Eusebius'  History,  p. 
37.  Hegesippus,  who  lived  nearest  the  time  of  the  apostles, 
in  the  fifth  book  of  his  commentaries,  says:  "But  James, 
the  brother  of  the  Lord,  who,  as  there  were  many  of  this 
name,  was  surnamed  the  Just  by  all,  from  the  days  of  our 
Lord  until  now,  received  the  government  of  the  church  with 
the  apostles." — Ibid.,  p.  64. 

It  is  also  claimed:  "That  this  was  designed  as  a  peculiar 
honor  to  Saint  James,  in  regard  that  he  was  the  brother  of 
Christ." — Antiquities  of  Christianty,  p.  58;  Christian  Antiq- 
uities, by  Bingham,  vol.  1,  p.  16.  "For  nothing  is  plainer," 
says  Reverend  J.  W.  Harding,  D.  D.,  "than  that.  Saint 
James,  the  apostle  (whom  Saint  Paul  calls  'our  Lord's 
brother7  and  reckoned  with  Peter  and  John  one  of  the  pillars 
of  the  church),  was  the  same  who  presided  among  the 
apostles  by  his  episcopal  office,  and  determined  the  cause  in 
the  synod  of  Jerusalem.  He  was  preferred  before  all  the 
rest  for  his  near  relationship  to  Christ." — Sacred  Biography 
and  History,  p.  522.  "That  this  James  was  the  James  who 
was  named  with  Joses,  Simon,  and  Judas,  as  one  of  our 
Lord's  brethren,  must  be  received  as  certain.  But  whether 
he  was  identical  with  James,  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  who  was 
one  of  the  twelve,  is  a  question  much  discussed,  and  on  which 
eminent  biblical  scholars  are  found  arrayed  on  opposite 
sides." — Pictorial  Bible,  by  David  C.  Cook  &  Co.,  Chicago, 
Illinois.  The  children  of  Joseph  and  Mary  were  Jesus, 


APPENDIX  G.  415 

James,  Joses,  Jude  (Judas),  Simon,  and  three  daughters 
whose  names  were  not  given.  (Matthew  13:55,  56;  Gala- 
tians  1:  19;  2:9,  12.)  His  brethren  did  not  believe  in  Jesus 
as  the  Christ  at  first  (John  7:5),  and  some  of  them  not 
until  a  few  days  before  the  day  of  Pentecost  (1  Corinthians 
15:7).  James  occupied  a  prominent  position  among  the 
apostles,  and  was  surnamed  "the  Just."  James  and  Peter 
seem  to  have  been  in  authority  on  equal  terms  when  Paul 
was  admitted  to  the  fellowship  of  the  apostles  on  the  word 
of  Barnabas  (Acts  9:17;  Gatetians  1:18),  and  after  that 
time  he  acts  as  the  president  of  the  council  in  Jerusalem 
(Acts  12:17;  15:13),  whose  decrees  he  delivered  formally, 
a  position  recognized  and  recorded  by  Paul  (Galatians  2:9), 
and  honored  by  a  formal  visit  of  ceremony  in  the  presence 
of  all  the  presbyteries  (Acts  21:18).  "He  is  believed  to 
have  been  appointed  bishop  of  Jerusalem  by  Jesus  in  a  vision, 
.  .  .  Eusebius  says  the  appointment  was  by  the  apostles." 
(Smith's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  p.  143,  published  at  1222 
Arch  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  1883.) 

These  eminent  writers  are  quoted  in  evidence  that  it  was 
not  Peter,  James,  and  John  that  presided  over  the  church 
at  Jerusalem,  but  James  the  Lord's  brother.  This  is  the 
main  point  presented  in  these  references.  As  to  whether 
this  James  was  the  son  of  Alphseus  or  the  Lord's  brother, 
the  son  of  Joseph  and  'Mary,  or  was  an  "apostle,"  will  be 
discussed  further  on.  These  writers  view  it  as  certain  that 
this  James  was  the  president  at  Jerusalem.  It  is  clear,  too, 
that  this  James  could  not  be  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  because  the 
son  of  Alphaeus  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  original  apostles 
(Matthew  10),  and  this  James  did  not  believe  in  Jesus  at 
that  time  (Matthew  13:55;  John  7:3),  and  it  would  be 
ridiculous  to  assume  that  Jesus  placed  a  man  who  did  not 
believe  in  him  in  the  apostolic  quorum.  We  shall  produce 
further  evidence  from  the  writings  of  eminent  authors  that 
it  was  James  that  was  constituted  the  president  at  Jerusa- 
lem, and  that  he  was  not  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  nor  did  he 
belong  to  the  college  of  apostles.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind 
that  this  theory  that  obtained,  that  James  the  Lord's  brother 


416  PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

was  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  was  an  "invention"  of  Jerome,  three 
hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  time  of  Christ,  presumably 
to  cater  to  the  Romish  sentiment  that  Mary  was  "ever 
virgin";  a  theory  which  has  been  the  fruitful  source  of 
darkening  counsel  by  all  writers  holding  Romish  views  and 
superstitions  in  regard  to  the  office  and  work  of  Peter. 
Later  and  better  informed  writers,  who  are  further  removed 
from  Romish  superstitions  and  traditions,  present  the  matter 
in  a  better  light,  and  more  nearly  in  harmony  with  the 
scriptural  view,  as  may  be  seen  by  a  careful  reading.  George 
T.  Pures,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  recently  Professor  of  New  Testa- 
ment Literature  and  Exegesis,  in  Princeton  Theological 
Seminary,  author  of  "Christianity  in  the  Apostles'  Age," 
writes  (page  16)  :  "Christianity  originated  in  the  appear- 
ance among  the  Jews  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  especially  from 
the  belief  in  his  Messiahship  created  by  the  events  of  his 
career,  his  teaching,  and  unique  personality.  The  Gospels 
show  that  the  immediate  object  of  Jesus  during  his  life  was 
twofold.  On  the  one  hand,  he  offered  himself  to  the  Jews 
as  one  who  had  come  from  God  to  establish  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  inveighed  against  current  Judaisms  as  a  false  inter- 
pretation of  God's  commands,  and  summoned  the  people  to 
accept  him  as  the  revealer  of  the  true  religious  life.  On 
the  other  hand,  foreseeing  from  the  start  their  rejection  of 
him  (see  John  2:  19;  3:  11,  14,  19;*Luke  4:  24-27;  Matthew 
8:10,  12;  12:39,  41;  Luke  11:49-51;  Matthew  9:15;  John 
6:51-56;  Matthew  16:21-23,  etc.),  he  addressed  himself  to 
the  task  of  attaching  to  himself  and  his  teaching  a  nucleus 
of  believers  who  should  carry  on,  after  his  death,  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  kingdom.  But  he  did  not  organize  them  into 
a  separate  society,  save  by  the  appointment  of  twelve  apostles. 
These  he  constituted  his  personal  representatives  and  the 
official  heads  of  the  new  Israel  (Matthew  10:40;  Mark 
3:14,  15;  Matthew  17:19;  18:18;  19:28;  Mark  10:37; 
Luke  22:  29,  30)  ;  but  he  attempted  no  further  organization/* 
Page  11:  "The  apostles  were  the  official  witnesses  (Acts 
1:22;  10:41;  1  Corinthians  9:1;  4:5-8;  John  21:14), 
though  their  testimony  was  confirmed  by  that  of  many  others. 


APPENDIX  G.  417 

.  .  .  Peter,  the  most  conspicuous  witness  in  Acts, — the 
appearance  of  Jesus  to  whom  is  specifically  mentioned  by 
Luke  (24:  34)  and  Paul  (1  Corinthians  15:  7), — never  repre- 
sents it  as  resting  on  his  own  testimony  or  that  of  any 
other  individual,  but  on  that  of  all  the  apostles."  (See  for 
example,  Acts  2:  32;  3:  15;  10:  41.) 

Page  17:  "The  apostles  returned  from  Jerusalem  from 
their  Lord's  ascension,  to  wait  for  the  promised  Spirit,  .  .  . 
the  company,  however,  comprised  more  than  the  eleven 
apostles.  Mention  is  made  of  certain  women,  who  were  per- 
haps wives  of  the  disciples  or  others  mentioned  as  witnesses 
of  the  resurrection,  with  perhaps  still  others  who,  like  Mary 
and  Martha  of  Bethany,  had  been  followers  of  Jesus.  .  .  . 
The  mother  of  Jesus  also  belonged  to  the  company,  and  with 
her  were  his  brethren.  The  latter  had  not  believed  in  his 
Messiahship  even  towards  the  close  of  his  life  (John  7:5). 
But  to  one  of  them,  James,  he  had  appeared  after  his  resur- 
rection (1  Corinthians  15:7),  and  doubtless  this,  with  the 
other  evidence,  had  secured  their  faith."  It  will  be  noted 
that  this  doubting  James,  according  to  the  theory  set  forth 
in  the  Appendix  to  the  Exegesis,  was  placed  as  one  of  the 
original  apostles,  as  the  son  of  Alphasus,  which  is  absurd 
upon  the  face  of  it.  His  brethren  did  not  believe  in  him, 
no  matter  whose  children  they  were.  After  reciting  the 
setting  apart  of  Matthias  to  the  apostleship,  this  writer 
continues,  on  page  23,  "His  [Peter's]  conduct,  therefore, 
shows  that  it  was  recognized  by  all  that  the  new  com- 
munity had  been  organized  by  Christ  under  the  direction  of 
the  body  of  apostles.  Peter's  prominence  indicates  neither 
that  he  occupied  a  position  of  primacy,  nor  that  the  authority 
of  the  apostolic  body  as  a  whole  did  not  yet  exist.  His  words 
imply  quite  the  contrary.  He  was  simply  the  most  active 
leader  of  the  governing  body.  The  power  of  further  organi- 
zation had  also  been,  it  is  clear,  left  by  Christ  with  his  dis- 
ciples." Referring  to  further  organization,  page  41,  he  says, 
"The  complaint  of  the  Hellenists,  however,  suggested  to  the 
apostles  the  necessity  of  some  arrangement  to  meet  the 
difficulty;  and  this  was  accomplished  in  a  way  that  satisfied 


418  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

all  parties  and  harmonized  with  the  supremacy  of  the 
apostles  and  the  rights  of  the  community.  Seven  men  were 
chosen  by  the  brethren  and  were  set  apart  to  the  work  by  the 
imposition  of  hands  of  the  apostles.  Thus  the  apostles  again 
appear  as  the  authoritative  founders  of  the  church,  whose 
special  function,  however,  was  teaching.  The  advance  in 
organization,  it  should  be  noted,  was  brought  about  by  the 
pressure  of  practical  needs  and  without  reference  to  any 
previous  program.  The  whole  congregation  was  recognized 
as  having  the  right  to  choose  their  officials."  Page  96: 
"Thus  must  be  explained  the  origin  of  the  Christian  office  of 
elder.  No  specific  account  of  its  institution  is  given.  We 
simply  find  it  existing;  but  there  can  be  no  question  that  it 
was  copied  from  the  office  of  the  same  name  among  the  Jews. 
In  each  Jewish  community  the  elders  were  the  governing 
body."  Speaking  of  the  apostles,  page  95,  "But  they  now  ap- 
pear more  and  more  to  have  directed  their  efforts  to  the  super- 
intendence and  advancement  of  the  cause  at  large.  So 
Peter's  activity,  quite  early  in  this  period,  is  expressly  de- 
scribed. (Acts  9:  32.)  So,  too,  had  Paul,  as  we  have  seen, 
been  sent  forth  to  Selicia.  From  this  time  forth  we  hear  no 
more  of  most  of  the  original  apostles.  We  can  not  doubt 
that  they  went  abroad  as  tradition  affirms  (Eusebius' 
Ecclesiastical  History,  book  3,  chapter  1)  as  missionaries  and 
founders  of  new  churches."  Page  96:  "Jerusalem  indeed 
continued  for  many  years  to  be  headquarters  of  the  faith, 
and  to  it  they  may  have  returned  like  Paul  himself  from 
time  to  time.  But  the  progress  and  organization  of  the 
Judean  churches  appears  to  have  delocalized  the  apostles 
and  made  it  a  traveling  and  scattered  body,  delivering  in 
wider  circles  the  gospel  of  the  risen  Lord." 

It  will  be  observed  that  Peter  was  no  exception  to  this 
scattering:  "And  it  came  to  pass,  as  Peter  passed  through- 
out all  quarters,  he  came  down  also  to  the  saints  which 
dwelt  at  Lydda."  It  was  thus  while  Peter  was  passing 
"throughout  all  quarters"  that  he  was  directed  to  the  house 
of  Cornelius.  (Acts  9  and  10.)  Peter  is  not  president  of 
the  church  here;  he  is  simply  out  on  a  mission,  and  in  the 


APPENDIX  G.  419 

community  where  he  was  chief  laborer  as  an  apostle,  he  is 
sent  to  Cornelius.  The  apostles  all  scattered  abroad  now, 
Peter  included,  we  ought  to  soon  find  some  leading  char- 
acter in  charge  of  tiie  church  at  home,  the  headquarters. 
So  this  writer  goes  on,  page  130,  "After  the  Herodian  per- 
secution (A.  D.  44)  the  most  conspicuous  individual  among 
the  Palestinian  Christians  was  James  'the  Lord's  brother' '' 
(Galatians  1:19;  compare  Galatians  2:9;  Acts  12:17; 
15:13;  21:18;  Matthew  13:55;  Mark  6:3;  Josephus'  An- 
tiquities 29 :  1 ;  Eusebius'  Ecclesiastical  History,  book  2, 
chapter  23).  He  is  not  to  be  identified  with  the  apostle 
James,  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  for  the  brethren  of  the  Lord 
are  distinguished  by  the  evangelists  from  the  apostles. 
(Matthew  12:46;  John  7:3,  5;  Acts  1:14.)  Paul's  lan- 
guage (Galatians  1:  19;  1  Corinthians  15:  7)  has  indeed  been 
thought  to  imply  that  James  was  an  apostle,  and  the 
hypothesis  has  been  advanced,  that  after  the  death  of  James, 
the  son  of  Zebedee  (Acts  12:  2),  the  brother  of  the  Lord  was 
chosen  to  fill  his  place.  Others  think  that  in  these  passages 
Paul,  contrary  to  the  usual  custom,  uses  the  term  "apostle" 
in  a  loose  sense.  But  his  language  does  not  impel  either  of 
these  interpretations.  That  in  Galatians  1 :  19  James  is 
not  necessarily  to  be  included  among  the  apostles  is  shown 
by  the  example  of  other  sentences  similarly  constructed  (see 
Romans  14;  Luke  4:26);  while  in  1  Corinthians  15:7  the 
order  of  words  in  the  original  would  seem  to  imply  that 
James  is  rather  distinguished  from  those  included  among 
them.  As  already  observed,  also,  it  is  questionable  whether 
}  ~  was  meant  to  be  included  among  the  apostles  by  Luke  in 
Acts  2 :  27.  Certainly  apart  from  these  very  doubtful  wit- 
nesses, he  is  not  called  an  apostle;  and  what  is  most  sig- 
nificant, he  does  not  so  call  himself  in  his  epistle.  It  is  more 
likely  that  after  the  apostolate  had  become  delocalized  by 
the  progress  of  the  organization  of  the  Judean  churches, 
James,  who  remained  in  Jerusalem,  became  the  practical 
head  of  the  Jewish  Christians,  and  this  leadership,  on  account 
of  his  personal  character  and  high  spiritual  gifts,  rather 
than  because  of  any  office  held  by  him,  became  so  marked 


420  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

that  he  exerted  an  influence  equal  to  that  of  the  apostles 
themselves  (Galatians  2:9),  and  was  remembered  in  after 
times  as  the  head  of  the  mother  church.  (Eusebius'  Ecclesi- 
astical History,  book  2,  chapter  1.) 

At  any  rate  the  prominence  and  influence  of  James  are 
beyond  dispute.  Peter,  when  fleeing  from  imprisonment,  sent 
word  of  his  escape  to  "James  and  brethren."  (Acts  12:  17.) 
At  the  council  at  Jerusalem  James*  opinion  had  decisive 
weight.  (Acts  15:12,  21.)  It  was  "certain  from  James" 
whose  presence  at  Antioch  led  Peter  to  withdraw  from  fel- 
lowship with  the  Gentiles.  (Galatians  2:12.)  On  Paul's 
final  return  to  Jerusalem  it  was  James  and  the  elders  who 
received  him.  (Acts  21:18.)  The  epistle  witnesses  to  the 
authority  and  wide  influence  of  its  writer;  and  the  author 
of  Jude  introduced  himself  to  his  readers  as  the  brother  of 
James.  (Jude  1.)  To  this  may  be  added  the  testimony  of 
secular  history  and  tradition.  Josephus  (Antiquities  20,  9,  1) 
relates  that  after  the  recall  of  Festus  A.  D.  62,  the  high 
priest  Annus  secured  the  stoning  of  James,  the  brother  of 
Jesus,  and  some  others,  on  the  ground  that  they  had  broken 
the  law,  but  that  the  better  citizens  complained  of  the  act, 
so  that  in  consequence  Annus  was  removed  from  office  by 
Agrippa  II.  The  respect  in  which  James  was  held  by  the 
whole  city  is  attested  by  traditions.  Hegesippus  relates 
(Eusebius'  Ecclesiastical  History,  book  2,  chapter  23)  that 
he  was  known  as  the  "Just"  and  as  the  bulwark  of  the  peo- 
ple; that  he  lived  the  life  of  a  Nazarite;  that  he  had  a  high 
reputation  for  piety  of  a  rather  ascetic  type.  But  the  evi- 
dence wherever  we  find  it,  discloses  a  man  of  large  influence, 
impressive  character,  and  intense  piety  according  to  the  finest 
Hebrew  ideals;  one,  therefore,  most  likely  to  attain  to  leader- 
ship among  the  Jewish  disciples.  (Page  132.) 

"In  order  to  form  a  still  clearer  image  of  James,  we  must 
go  back  to  the  Nazarene  home  in  which  Jesus  was  reared. 
The  'brethren  of  the  Lord'  were  either  the  children  of  Joseph 
by  a  former  marriage,  or  the  children  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
born  after  Jesus.  The  latter  view  seems  best  to  accord  with 
the  intimations  of  the  gospels.  The  view  advanced  by  Jerome 


APPENDIX  G.  421 

and  elaborated  by  others  that  they  were  the  cousins  of  Jesus 
on  his  mother's  side  is  beset  with  difficulties,  of  which  it  is 
sufficient  to  mention  the  fact  that  it  identified  James  with 
the  son  of  Alphseus  and  so  makes  him  one  of  the  original 
apostles."— Page  133. 

"There  is  still  less  foundation  for  the  view  that  they  were 
cousins  of  Jesus  on  Joseph's  side.  In  any  event  James  had 
been  the  daily  associate  of  Jesus  in  the  Nazarene  home.  We 
infer  that  from  early  life  he  had  been  an  earnest,  religious 
character,  steeped  in  the  teaching  of  the  Old  Testament  and 
in  later  Hebrew  literature.  The  tradition  of  his  devoted 
piety  can  hardly  have  been  without  some  foundation,  yet  with 
all  of  his  piety  James  did  not  accept  Jesus  as  the  Messiah. 
This  does  not  exclude,  however,  sympathy  with  much  of  Jesus' 
teaching,  nor  warm  affection  for  his  person.  His  unbelief 
may  have  been  due  to  Jesus'  rupture  with  many  Jewish  con- 
ventionalities; also  to  James'  exalted  view  of  the  glory  of 
the  Messiah,  and  the  impression  of  Jesus'  loneliness  produced 
on  one  who  had  himself  shared  it.  The  fact  that  Jesus,  after 
his  resurrection,  appeared  to  James  (1  Corinthians  4:7)  is 
a  testimony  to  the  latter's  high  character  as  well  as  his 
brother's  love  for  him  and  foresight  of  his  future  usefulness. 

"We  can  not  wonder,  then,  that  when  convinced  of  the 
Messiahship  of  his  former  brother  and  now  risen  Lord,  James 
soon  ranked  high  in  the  new  community.  It  is  not  clear  what 
office  he  occupied  in  the  Jerusalem  church.  Later  traditions 
made  him  its  first  bishop,  chosen  to  that  office  by  the  apostles 
(Eusebius'  Ecclesiastical  History,  2,  23)  ;  and  among  extreme 
Jewish  Christians  of  the  second  century,  he  was  represented 
as  the  bishop  of  the  entire  church.  (Church  Homilies.)  But 
these  traditions  read  back  later  ideas  into  the  apostolic  age. 
He  was  doubtless  one  of  the  elders  of  the  church;  and  if 
the  eldership  of  Jerusalem  had  a  president — of  which  there 
is  no  proof — James  presumably  held  that  office." — Page  134. 

This  is  all  that  might  be  expected  to  be  conceded  by  one 
who  does  not  believe  in  the  idea  of  a  first  president  or  first 
presidency.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  James  was  the 
prominent  man  in  Jerusalem,  which  is  enough  to  support  our 


422  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

contention,  and  that  this  James  was  not  the  son  of  Alphseus. 
True,  the  name  of  the  office  he  held  is  not  recorded;  but  in 
after-years  when  the  word  bishop  was  used  to  dignify  the 
highest  church  official,  or  designate  his  office,  it  was  read  back 
and  the  same  title  or  office  was  accorded  to  James  the  Lord's 
brother,  in  speaking  of  him.  The  above  citations  are  given 
from  this  eminent  scholar  and  author,  for  the  reason  he  dis- 
cusses the  questions  at  issue  quite  fully,  and  certainly  fairly; 
and  he  is  an  up  to  date  man.  His  treatise  from  which  these 
selections  have  been  made  is  a  rare  work,  of  value  to  any 
student.  It  will  be  observed  that  after  the  ascension  of 
Jesus,  the  completion  of  the  organization  of  the  church  was 
left  to  the  apostles  <as  a  body.  That  when  the  church  was 
supplied  with  competent  local  officers  and  set  in  order,  the 
twelve  were  "delocalized"  and  went  into  all  the  world.  That 
the  organization  was  kept  up  in  Jerusalem  and  its  authority 
was  recognized  everywhere.  That  Peter  held  no  preeminence 
other  than  the  president  of  the  quorum  over  the  other 
apostles;  they  acted  together.  That  "James,  the  Lord's 
brother,"  by  proper  selection  and  choice  became  the  recog- 
nized head  or  president  of  the  church  at  Jerusalem.  As  to 
his  prominence  there  is  no  dispute.  That  Peter's  pre- 
eminence appears  nowhere  more  than  when  Jesus  was  on 
earth  with  the  disciples,  and  it  could  hardly  be  claimed  that 
Peter  outranked  Jesus  in  official  standing.  That  James  "the 
Lord's  brother"  was  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary,  is  the  most 
probable  view,  and  that  he  could  not  have  been  the  son  of 
AlphaBus.  That  the  theory  that  James,  Joses,  etc.,  were  cou- 
sins of  Jesus,  and  not  brothers,  was  an  "invention"  by 
Jerome  over  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  time  of 
Christ;  that  this  was  gotten  up  most  likely  to  harmonize 
with  the  Roman  Catholic  sentiment  and  claims  of  the  times, 
that  the  church  was  built  on  Peter  and  that  Mary  was  "ever 
virgin,"  etc.  So  the  contention  made  by  the  writer  of  the 
Appendix  to  the  Exegesis  of  the  Priesthood  is  shown  to  be 
without  foundation  in  the  main  view  presented. 

But  the  evidences  are  extended. 

"1   am  led  by  close  examination   of  evidence,  to   the   con- 


APPENDIX  G.  423 

viction  that  James,  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  and  James,  who  is 
styled  in  Galatians  1 :  19  the  brother  of  the  Lord,  were  differ- 
ent persons  (see  John  7:3;  Matthew  13:55).  The  former 
was  an  apostle;  the  latter  does  not  seem  even  to  have  been 
a  believer  in  Christ  at  all  till  after  the  resurrection.  Imme- 
diately on  his  joining  the  little  Christian  church,  however, 
he  took  a  prominent  position,  being  president  of  the  council  at 
Jerusalem.  It  is  my  opinion,  from  the  statements  made  in 
Scripture,  that  James  was  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary;  and 
consequently,  as  stated  by  Paul,  the  brother  of  our  Lord. 
He  was  the  author  of  the  epistle." — From  the  Self  Inter- 
preting Bible,  under  the  head  of  the  General  Epistle  of  James, 
page  480. 

Again,  page  512,  the  following  occurs: 

"Had  the  author  of  this  epistle  (Epistle  of  Jude)  been  the 
same  as  Judas  Lebbeus,  one  of  the  twelve,  there  is  scarcely 
a  doubt  tnat  he  would  have  called  himself  an  apostle.  This 
would  at  once  have  given  his  epistle  the  stamp  of  authority. 
As  he  has  not  done  so,  it  seems  in  the  highest  degree  probable 
that  he  was  not  an  apostle,  and  that  James  mentioned  as  his 
brother  was  the  well-known  president  of  the  council  at 
Jerusalem  and  author  of  the  epistle  that  bears  his  name. 
Jude  was  then  one  of  the  brethren  (or  as  I  believe,  a  brother 
of  the  Lord). — From  notes  in  the  Self  Interpreting  Bible 
by  Reverend  James  W.  Lee,  D.  D.,  Josiah  L.  Porter,  D.  D., 
LL.  D.,  Henry  Cook,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  John  Brown,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 
published  by  R.  S.  Peale  and  J.  A.  Hill,  New  York." 

These  writers  rank  among  the  most  eminent  scholars  in 
Europe  and  America.  In  point  of  scholarship  there  is  no 
better  authority. 

It  will  be  noted  that  these  writers  take  the  same  view 
in  regard  to  the  brother  of  the  Lord,  Jude  and  the  son  of 
Alphaeus,  that  is  presented  in  Presidency  and  Priesthood.  In 
Tell's  Popular  Encyclopedia,  page  1363,  under  the  head  of 
James,  the  following  occurs: 

"James  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  one  of  the  twelve  apostles 
(Matthew  10:  3;  Mark  3:  18;  Luke  6:  15;  Acts  1:  13).  He 
is  called  James  the  less,  either  as  being  younger  than  James 


424  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

the  son  of  Zebedee  or  on  account  of  his  low  stature  (Mark 
16:  1;  Luke  24:  10).  James  the  brother  of  the  Lord  (Gala- 
tians  1:  18).  Whether  this  James  is  identical  with  the  son 
of  Alphasus  is  a  question  which  Doctor  Neander  pronounces  to 
be  the  most  difficult  in  the  apostolic  history,  and  can  not  be 
considered  as  settled.  It  is  probable  however  that  he  was 
a  different  person." 

It  will  be  observed,  however,  that  all  of  the  eminent  authors 
cited  above,  place  the  probabilities  of  this  question  upon  the 
side  that  they  were  two  distinct  persons;  and  some  take 
strong  grounds,  being  convinced  that  the  brother  of  the  Lord 
was  not  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  but  none  other  than  the  son  of 
Joseph  and  Mary  and  brother  of  Jesus  as  affirmed  by  Paul. 
But  it  may  be  important  to  examine  this  Appendix  to  the 
Exegesis  of  the  Priesthood  more  minutely. 

On  the  second  page,  the  writer  endeavors  to  convince  his 
readers  about  a  matter  concerning  which  there  is  no  dispute, 
viz.,  "that  Peter,  James  (the  son  of  Zebedee) ,  and  John  were 
the  messengers  sent  to  Joseph  Smith,  the  Seer,  and  Oliver 
Cowdery,  and  that  John  the  Baptist  acted  under  their 
direction,"  also  the  quotation  from  Doctrine  and  Covenants 
110 :  20  in  regard  to  the  "voice  of  Michael  on  the  banks  of 
the  Susquehanna,"  etc,  There  is  no  difficulty  about  these 
texts, — it  is  only  the  conclusions  arrived  at  by  the  writer 
that  mystifies,  and  gets  him  into  trouble.  He  says,  page 
145,  "Now  if  there  was  a  James,  the  Lord's  brother,  who 
held  the  keys  of  the  presidency  subsequent  to  Christ's  de- 
parture, why  did  not  he  and  his  associates  Jude  and  Silas,  as 
stated  by  some,  appear  and  confer  the  keys  of  the  presidency 
upon  Joseph  Smith?"  We  answer,  for  the  best  of  reasons. 
Neither  James,  Jude,  and  Silas,  nor  Peter,  James,  and  John 
were  directing  the  matter.  Jesus  Christ,  the  great  Head  of 
the  church  in  heaven,  .was  doing  the  sending.  The  Savior 
sent  the  men  whom  he  selected  for  his  special  ambassadors  at 
Jerusalem,  and  gave  commission  to  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature;"  and  again,  "and 
lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 
Jesus  had  said  unto  them  in  similar  speech  which  was  ad- 


APPENDIX  G.  425 

dressed  to  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  "Unto  you  three  I  will  give  this 
power  and  the  keys  of  this  ministry  until  I  come."  (Doc- 
trine and  Covenants  7:  2.)  The  keys  of  this  ministry  related 
to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  and  bringing  souls  unto  Christ, 
as  the  context  shows,  home  and  foreign  missions,  and  has  not 
the  least  allusion  to  a  presidency  on  earth.  It  referred  to 
their  work  in  the  ministry  in  this  world,  and  their  standing 
and  work  in  heaven  when  they  should  become  angels,  next 
to  Christ,  his  prime  ministers  to  be  sent.  These  keys  were 
to  be  held  by  them  until  Christ  comes,  then  they  are  to 
appear  on  thrones  (Matthew  19:28),  not  as  presidents,  but 
as  judges.  So  their  authority  and  work  are  set  out  on 
earth,  in  heaven,  and  in  the  millennium,  standing  next  to 
Christ  as  chief  ministers,  not  church  presidents.  Again, 
it  is  nowhere  written  that  one  first  presidency  is  to  send 
another  first  presidency,  -and  most  especially  this  would  be 
true  if  the  work  in  view  had  been  assigned  to  others  to  do. 
Jesus,  the  great  First  President,  sent  three  of  his  apostles 
according  to  law  and  order,  and  not  the  presidency  of  the 
church  at  Jerusalem,  or  any  other  church;  but  men  to  whom 
this  work  belonged,  under  the  direction  of  the  First  Presi- 
dent in  heaven.  Jesus  was  always  careful  to  keep  the  law 
on  his  side. 

The  writer  of  the  Appendix,  then,  is  not  supported  in  his 
theory  by  this  text.  The  trouble  with  the  Exegesis  is  that 
it  does  not  sufficiently  set  out  the  proper  presidency  that 
belongs  to  the  "high  priesthood,"  which  consists  of  a  presi- 
dency and  a  second  presidency;  and  then  the  keys  held  by  the 
second  presidency  are  made  to  belong  only  to  the  first.  But 
sections  104,  105,  80,  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  made  clear  the 
places  of  the  two,  arranging  each  presidency  in  its  place 
with  its  proper  "keys  of  the  kingdom,"  or  keys  of  the  Mel- 
chisedec  priesthood.  The  second  presidency  are  the  mes- 
sengers sent.  So  Jesus,  the  great  Head  and  President  in 
heaven,  sent  those  to  whom  he  gave  the  keys  of  this  ministry, 
under  whose  direction  the  Aaronic  priesthood  was  con- 
ferred upon  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  Oliver  Cowdery  by  the 
imposition  of  the  hands  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  the  Mel- 


426  PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

chisedec  by  the  command  of  God  through  the  laying  on  of 
hands  of  Joseph  Smith  upon  Oliver  Cowdery,  and  Oliver 
Cowdery  in  turn  laying  his  hands  upon  Joseph  Smith;  after 
which,  Joseph  says,  "I  should  be  called  the  first  elder,  and 
he  (Oliver)  the  second."  There  was  nothing  conferred  here 
but  what  is  admitted  that  Peter,  James,  and  John  were 
invested  with  at  Jerusalem,  during  Christ's  ministry  on  earth, 
and  also  their  associates;  only  now,  these  three  are  em- 
powered with  an  increased  authority,  that  is,  a  dispensation 
of  the  gospel  for  the  last  time  and  the  fullness  of  times, 
showing  that  they  had  received  new  keys  since  becoming 
angels.  Peter,  James,  and  John,  John  the  Baptist,  and 
Joseph  Smith  and  Oliver  Cowdery,  were  all  instruments 
through  which  these  ordinations  occurred  and  priesthoods 
were  bestowed,  but  it  was  Jesus  Christ  who  did  the  ordaining. 
Jesus  says,  "by  whom  I  have  ordained  you  and  confirmed 
you  to  be  apostles  and  special  witnesses  of  my  name,  and 
bear  the  keys  of  your  ministry."  Nothing  but  the  admitted 
authority  held  by  Peter,  James,  and  John,  as  apostles,  at 
Jerusalem,  is  here  indicated  as  having  been  conferred;  but 
had  there  been  other,  that  authority  and  the  keys  could  have 
been  bestowed  by  the  great  Head  who  sent  them,  just  as 
well  ,as  he  could  confer  on  them  the  authority  and  keys  of 
the  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times,  that  perhaps  none 
will  claim  they  held  at  Jerusalem,  whatever  their  place  in 
the  church. 

When  the  church  had  been  sufficiently  organized,  so  as 
to  require  a  permanent  local  president,  it  was  provided  for 
according  to  law,  as  shown  in  the  revelations  already 
quoted,  viz.: 

"Of  necessity  there  are  presidents,  or  presiding  offices, 
growing  out  of,  or  appointed  of,  or  from  among  those  who 
are  ordained  ^o  the  several  offices  of  these  two  priesthoods. 
Of  the  Melchisedec  priesthood,  three  presiding  high  priests, 
chosen  by  the  body,  appointed  and  ordained  to  that  office, 
and  upheld  by  the  confidence,  faith  and  prayers  of  the 
church." — Doctrine  and  Covenants  104:  11. 

This  is  the  course  that  was  pursued  by  the  apostles  and 


APPENDIX  G.  427 

church  at  Jerusalem  after  the  ascension  of  the  Savior.  Peter, 
James,  and  John  "did  not  contend  for  the  honor  as  to  who 
should  occupy  the  highest  seat,  but  chose  James  the  Just 
as  bishop  of  Jerusalem."  As  a  second  step,  after  the  death 
of  James,  it  is  written: 

"Sometime  after  his  death,  as  Eusebius  relates  from  ancient 
traditions,  the  apostles  and  disciples  of  our  Lord,  as  many 
as  were  yet  in  being,  met  together  with  our  Savior's  kinsmen 
(several  of  whom  were  alive)  to  consult  about  choosing  a 
successor  in  Saint  James*  room,  and  they  unanimously  agreed 
upon  Simeon,  son  of  Cleopas,  our  Savior's  cousin  according 
to  the  flesh,  thinking  him  the  most  fit  and  worthy  person." 
— Antiquities  of  Christianity,  p.  28. 

This  "choosing"  of  a  president  of  the  church  at  Jerusa- 
lem is  in  harmony  with  the  rule  as  cited  in  the  Book  of  Doc- 
trine and  Covenants,  but  who  ever  read  anything  about 
Peter/  James,  and  John  being  "chosen"  as  presidents  of  the 
church?  According  to  this  law  and  precedent,  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  «was  "chosen"  president  of  the  Church,  and  ordained  at 
a  conference  held  at  Amherst,  Ohio,  and,  too,  ordained  by 
those  holding  a  like  priesthood  with  himself,  thus  refuting 
the  claim  made  by  some,  that  in  every  case  of  ordination,  the 
one  receiving  ordination  must  be  set  apart  by  one  holding  a 
higher  office  in  the  priesthood  than  the  one  being  ordained. 
If  there  is  a  higher  officer  present  or  available,  he  is  con- 
sidered and  recognized,  otherwise  a  commandment  from  God 
to  ordain  is  the  end  of  controversy.  This  is  what  occurred 
in  the  chamber  of  old  Father  Whitmer,  and  what  occurred 
at  Amherst,  Ohio;  the  stream  never  rises  above  the  fountain, 
for  the  fountain  is  in  heaven;  men  are  "ordained  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  in  the  one  who  ordains."  So 
in  referring  to  Joseph  and  Oliver,  the  Savior  is  made  to  say, 
"Whom  I  have  ordained." 

On  page  3  of  the  Appendix,  reference  is  made  to  Peter, 
James,  and  John  going  with  the  Savior  upon  the  Mount,  of 
their  being  permitted  to  enter  the  sick  room  (Luke  8:13), 
and  selected  to  be  with  Christ  during  his  trial  at  Gethsemane 
(Matthew  26:  37,  38),  and  all  of  this  is  made  to  bend  to  the 


428  PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

notion  that  these  experiences  were  for  the  purpose  of  fitting 
them  for  the  presidency  of  the  church.  But  the  references 
do  not  warrant  the  conclusion.  They  were  present  as  wit- 
nesses. Christ  in  .answering"  his  accusers,  said,  "Ask  those 
who  heard  me,"  "In  secret  have  I  said  nothing."  The  trans- 
figuration scene  claim  has  been  already  noticed  and  refuted, 
however. 

Further  on,  the  writer  of  the  Appendix  is  disturbed  over 
the  number  of  Jameses  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament, 
and  states: 

"If  the  Lord  had  a  brother  James  in  the  flesh,  then  there 
were  three  who  held  the  apostleship,  viz.:  First,  James  the 
son  of  Zebedee  and  the  brother  of  John;  second,  James  the 
son  of  Alphaeus  (see  Matthew  10:2,  3);  third,  James  the 
Lord's  brother  and  son  of  Joseph  (see  Galatians  1:  19),  and 
in  paragraph  19  he  says,  'James,  the  son  of  Zebedee,  was 
slain  by  Herod,  about  44  A.  D.'  (see  Acts  12:  2).  When  and 
where  was  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus  slain?  This  must  be 
shown  to  get  the  matter  as  claimed,  beyond  question.  If  his 
death  can  not  be  accounted  for,  how  can  it  be  construed  that 
every  quotation  containing  the  name  of  James,  after  the  year 
44  A.  D.,  refers  .to  James,  the  Lord's  brother?" 

In  reply,  we  say  we  know  of  no  such  claim  being  made 
that  every  passage  containing  the  name  James  after  44  A.  D. 
refers  to  James  the  Lord's  brother.  It  may  be,  however.  As 
an  explanation  they  could  refer  to  James  the  Lord's  brother 
just  as  well  as  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  if  it  be  true  there 
is  but  one  referred  to.  "The  son  of  Alphaeus  is  only  named 
in  the  four  lists  of  apostles." — Britannica,  p.  552,  vol.  13. 
It  is  not  necessary,  however,  that  we  show  the  death  of  the 
son  of  Alphaeus  in  order  to  clear  up  the  matter.  The  case 
is  clearly  made  without  this.  First,  we  avoid  the  inconsist- 
ency of  making  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus  the  president  of 
tl-^  church  at  Jerusalem,  as  he  was  one  of  the  twelve  apostles. 
James  the  Lord's  brother  did  not  belong  to  the  quorum  of 
apostles  at  any  time.  Second,  when  the  son  of  Alphaeus  was 
chosen  one  of  the  twelve,  James  the  Lord's  brother  did  not 
believe  in  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  and  it  is  impossible  that  Jesus 


APPENDIX  G.  429 

would  select  an  unbeliever  for  a  place  among  the  other  believ- 
ing apostles.  When  Jesus  was  born  it  was  announced  that  he 
was  Mary's  "firstborn" ;  and  it  would  be  very  inconsistent 
for  the  historian  to  speak  of  a  "firstborn,"  had  there  not 
been  a  second.  See  also  the  discussion  of  this  in  the  main 
evidence  by  others  in  this  article. 

No  "figurehead"  is  made  of  the  son  of  Alphaeus  either; 
he  simply  stands  in  hrs  own  place  as  do  the  other  members 
of  the  twelve,  and  always  will  in  this  world  and  the  one  to 
come.  He  went  abroad  as  his  calling  required  of  him,  as 
did  the  others,  and  most  likely  was  finally  slain,  as  others 
were,  for  the  testimony  he  bore,  a  reliable  account  of  which 
we  do  not  have — nor  do  we  have  of  but  few,  if  any,  of  the 
other  apostles. 

In  regard  to  the  Oxford  Teacher's  Bible  and  Wilson's  Em- 
phatic Diaglott,  they  likely  teach  just  as  claimed,  but  what 
of  it?  Oxford  is  so  close  to  Rome  in  tradition  and  sentiment 
that  she  could  not  be  expected  to  reflect  but  the  current 
traditional  sentiment,  the  "inventions"  of  Jerome  of  the  fourth 
century,  gotten  up  long  after  the  actual  occurrences  and  under 
the  flavor  of  the  Roman  Catholic  claims  of  power  through 
Peter  as  the  head,  and  are  of  a  piece  with  the  theory  of  the 
immaculate  conception  of  Mary,  that  she  was  a  goddess,  and 
all  who  are  saved,  are  saved  only  by  means  of  this  divine 
mother,  etc.  Their  value  is  no  more,  so  far  as  deciding  the 
question  is  concerned,  than  the  statement  of  Jerome,  whicH, 
unsupported,  is  too  shaky  to  base  anything  of  fact  upon. 

On  page  147  the  writer  says: 

"In  Acts  12:  17  we  read,  'But  he  (Peter)  beckoning  unto 
them  with  the  hand  to  hold  their  peace,  declared  unto  them 
how  the  Lord  had  brought  him  out  of  the  prison,  and  he 
said,  Go  show  these  things  unto  James  (son  of  Alphaeus)  and 
to  the  brethren/  Here  Peter  recognizes  James  the  son  of 
Alphaeus  as  prominent  among  the  apostles  in  the  year  44 
A.  D.,  and  shortly  after  the  death  of  James  the  son  of  Zebedee. 
This  same  James,  in  connection  with  Peter,  presided  at 
Jerusalem  in  the  year  52.  (See  Acts  15:  13.)  This  could 
not  have  been  James,  the  Lord's  brother,  because  we  find  that 


430  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

six  years  later  (Galatians  1:  19)  James,  the  Lord's  brother, 
was  only  called  'an  apostle/  which  shows  conclusively  that  he 
was  not  yet  'chief  apostle'  nor  'president/  " 

It  is  a  little  amusing  to  note  how  our  author  manages  to 
inject  into  the  passages  cited,  "son  of  Alphaeus,  as  though  he 
had  settled  the  matter.  It  reminds  one  of  the  story  of  the 
smart  boy  at  the  cornhusking,  who  claimed  he  could  squeeze 
cider  out  of  cotton.  When  challenged,  he  just  dipped  the 
cotton  into  the  cider,  so  it  was  no  difficult  task  to  squeeze  it 
out.  He  first  put  it  in.  That  is  the  way  the  writer  of  the 
Appendix  gets  the  son  of  Alphseus  into  these  texts;  he  just 
puts  it  in.  But  this  is  the  point  to  be  proven.  How  quick 
and  easy  our  author  fills  up  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  with  the  appointment  of 
the  son  of  Alphaeus.  If  this  were  true,  what  becomes  of  all 
his  claim  about  Peter,  James,  and  John  being  upon  the  moun- 
tain; in  the  sick  room;  at  Gethsemane,  etc.,  in  order  to  make 
church  presidents  of  them?  The  son  of  Alphaeus  was  not  of 
these  favored  three;  but  if  these  experiences  were  essential  to 
their  election  as  the  first  presidents,  they  would  be  for  him 
also.  But  he  was  not  so  favored.  Acts  12:  17  does  not 
read,  then,  as  set  out  in  the  Exegesis,  and  the  insertion  by 
the  author  of  the  words  "the  son  of  Alphaeus"  is  a  blunder 
of  the  worst  kind.  Again,  whoever  heard  anything  about 
Peter  and  James  presiding  at  Jerusialem?  (Acts  4.)  This  is 
more  cider  in  the  cotton.  Again,  page  147,  it  is  stated  that 
"James  the  son  of  Zebedee  was  killed  in  44  A.  D.  James  the 
son  of  Alphaeus  must  have  presided  at  Jerusalem  in  connection 
with  Peter,  52  A.  D.,  as  James,  the  Lord's  brother,  is  still 
called  'an  apostle'  when  Paul  went  up  to  Jerusalem  in  the 
year  58  A.  D." 

But  the  theory  here  presented  makes  the  son  of  Alphaeus 
and  the  Lord's  brother  the  same  person,  which  is  not  correct, 
as  we  have  shown.  It  would  be  quite  as  easy  of  explanation 
by  assuming  that  it  was  James  the  Lord's  brother  who  pre- 
sided at  Jerusalem.  So  it  is  not  "conclusive"  that  he  was 
not  president  for  twenty-five  years  after  the  ascension,  etc. 


APPENDIX  G.  431 

But  as  this  is  answered  elsewhere  it  is  not  necessary  to 
further  consider  it  here. 

On  page  148,  what  is  said  of  the  Emphatic  Diaglott  and 
other  matters  is  of  a  piece  with  what  has  already  been 
answered  in  a  general  way.  Why  Jesus  used  the  language 
he  did  while  on  the  cross,  to  John,  in  connection  with  his 
mother,  is  not  stated.  If  he  intended  to  put  her  in  John's 
care,  he  evidently  had  a  good  reason  for  it,  whether  she  had 
children  or  not.  We  have  read  somewhere  that  John  had 
means  and  a  home;  if  so,  this  may  account  for  it.  Jesus 
loved  John  and  his  mother,  and  in  a  gospel  sense,  they  were 
mother  and  son  (Matthew  13:  48,  50).  Jesus  knew  and  likely 
his  mother  knew — that  she  would  be  safest  with  John.  The 
"opinion  embraced  by  Augustine,  and  by  the  majority  of  the 
Romanists  and  Protestants,"  is  of  the  same  class  that  has 
been  considered. 

But  the  author  of  the  Appendix  goes  on:  "There  is  but  one 
statement  in  the  Bible  where  it  is  said,  James,  the  Lord's 
brother,  viz.:  Galatians  1:19,  nor  is  there  any  reference 
whatever  made  to  him  in  the  revelations  of  the  latter  days." 

Well,  this  is  interesting.  There  is  one  place  in  the  Bible 
where  James  is  called  the  Lord's  brother;  but  there  is  not 
even  one  place  where  it  says  he  was  not  his  brother.  It 
appears,  therefore,  that  the  evidence  is  decidedly  in  favor  of 
James  being  the  brother  of  the  Lord.  But  James'  name  does 
not  occur  in  "the  latter-day  revelations."  Does  that  of  the 
son  of  Alphaeus?  No.  Then  what?  Lost  the  point  again! 
Again,  page  148,  the  author  states:  "We  now  present  his- 
torical proof  that  James,  called  the  'Lord's  brother/  was 
cousin  to  Jesus  in  the  flesh.  .  .  .  Jerome  appears  to  have 
been  the  first  to  suggest  the  more  probable  explanation." 

Who  is  this  Jerome  who  appears  to  .have  been  the  first  to 
suggest  the  "more  probable  explanation"?  Why,  he  was  a 
writer  of  the  fourth  century  of  the  Christian  era.  He  was 
the  "first  to  suggest  the  more  probable  explanation," — in  fact 
one  writer  says  he  "invented"  it.  He  was  three  hundred  and 
fifty  years  removed  from  the  scenes  enacted,  with  Roman 
Catholic  theory,  tradition,  and  sentiment  out  of  which  to 


432  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

"invent"  the  "more  probable  theory."  No  doubt  this  theory 
was  suited  to  the  demands  of  the  times,  a  strong  point  to 
keep  Mary  "ever  virgin,"  and  the  church  on  Peter.  This 
theory  was  copied  into  the  manuscripts  of  other  writers,  until 
of  late  years,  scholars  further  removed  from  Catholic  tradi- 
tions and  sentiment,  and  of  deeper  research,  discard  this  "in- 
vention," as  may  be  seen  by  the  weight  of  testimony  furnished 
in  this  article.  The  theory  never  was  heard  of  until  Jerome 
presented  it,  who  was  not  in  possession  of  the  facts  relating 
to  it.  It  is  simply  a  theory. 

On  page  149,  we  are  told  that,  "We  are  at  liberty,  then  to 
assume  that  the  word  adelphos  among  the  Jews  may  be  ap- 
plied indifferently  to  the  relation  of  brother,  or  to  the  rela- 
tion of  cousin.  Hence,  it  may  be  so  -applied.  (Matthew  13:  55, 
and  Mark  6 :  3.)  That  is,  some  of  the  persons  there  mentioned 
by  name,  may  be  strictly  brethren,  the  rest  may  be  merely 
cousins  of  the  Lord." — Greswell's  Works,  vol.  2,  p.  119. 

Let  us  try  this  method  of  interpretation: 

Mark  1:16:  "he  saw  Simon,  and  Andrew  his  brother" 
— adelphos. 

Mark  1 :  19 :     "he  saw  James  .  .  .  and  John  his  brother." 

Mark  3 :  17 :  "And  James  .  .  .  and  John  the  brother  of 
James." 

Mark  6:3:  "the  brother'of  James,  and  Joses,  and  of  Judah 
and  Simon." 

Mark  6:  17:    "for  Herodias'  sake,  his  brother  Philip's  wife." 

Mark  12:19:  "If  a  man's  brother  die,  and  leave  (his) 
wife." 

Mark  12:  19:    "that  his  brother  should  take  his  wife." 

John  1:40:  "One  .  .  .  was  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's 
brother." 

John  11 :  23 :  "Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Thy  brother  shall  rise 
again." 

In  all  of  these  instances  and  many  others  which  might  be 
cited,  brother  is  from  this  original  word  adelphos.  Can  it 
properly  mean  cousin  in  a  single  one  of  these  citations? 

It  will  be  observed  that  when  this  text  is  relieved  of  its 
assumptions  and  maybes  (which  we  have  italicized),  it  is 


APPENDIX  G.  433 

divested  of  pretty  much  all  of  its  force.  Again,  "Some  of  the 
persons  there  mentioned  by  name,  may  be  strictly  the  breth- 
ren," and  as  we  take  it,  before  it  can  interpret  or  reflect  the 
view  in  Matthew  13 :  55,  some  of  the  persons  should  be 
"strictly  the  brethren,"  before  "merely  cousins"  could  be 
included. 

Dut  it  is  a  paragraph  further  on  that  seems  the  worst. 
"The  four  brothers  and  their  sisters  were  always  found  living 
and  moving  about  with  the  Virgin  Mary."  Rather  a  natural 
place  for  a  mother's  children  to  be  found,  we  think.  But 
read  on,  "If  they  were  the  children  of  Cleopas  the  Virgin 
Mary  was  their  aunt."  Why,  of  course.  "Her  own  husband 
would  appear  without  doubt  to  have  died  between  A.  D.  8  and 
A.  D.  26.  Nor  have  we  any  reason  for  believing  Cleopas  to 
have  been  living  during  our  Lord's  ministry."  [And  none 
th"t  he  was  dead.]  "What  difficulty  is  there  in  supposing 
that  the  two  sisters  (in  law)  should  have  lived  together?" 
Why,  none  at  all,  of  course.  No  difficulty  in  "supposing" 
anything.  //  they  were  children  of  Cleopas,  there  might  be 
something  in  the  supposition,  but  as  this  is  the  point  to 
be  proved,  there  is  nothing  in  it  whatever.  But  here  again, 
"It  is  noticeable  that  Saint  Mary  is  nowhere  called  the 
mother  of  the  four  brothers."  Just  so.  But  there  is  -another 
thing  "noticeable" — it  is  nowhere  stated  that  she  was  .not  the 
mother  of  the  four  brothers.  It  is  affirmed,  however,  that  she 
"brought  forth  her  firstborn  son."  This  implies  a  second 
born  son,  and  Paul  affirms  that  James  was  the  Lord's  brother; 
and  in  Mark  it  is  said  of  Jesus,  "Is  not  this  the  carpenter, 
the  son  of  Mary,  brother  of  James,  and  Joses,  and  of  Jude, 
and  Simeon?  And  are  not  his  sisters  here  with  us?"  (Mark 
6:  3,  and  Matthew  13:  55.)  It  is,  indeed,  quite  "noticeable" 
that  these  children  were  the  family  of  Joseph  and  Mary,  and 
not  cousins,  as  claimed. 

On  page  150,  "the  Hieronymian  hypothesis"  is  presented, 
said  to  have  been  advocated  by  this  same  Jerome,  already 
noticed,  in  A.  D.  382,  which  assumes  that  the  children  referred 
to  above  were  nephews  and  nieces  of  Saint  Mary.  This 
"hypothesis"  was  likely  put  in  vogue  to  make  people  stare 


434  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

and  wonder,  so  they  would  take  down  the  theory,  genealogical 
map  and  all,  as  a  learned  conclusion.  But  without  facts 
sustaining  it,  it  remains  an  assumption  and  is  entitled  to  no 
credence  whatever. 

On  the  last  line  of  this  same  page/ we  are  relieved  with  a 
new  line  of  thought.  That  is,  it  is  claimed,  "First,  Christ  did 
not  come  from  the  lineage  of  Joseph,  but  through  the  lineage 
of  Mary."  However,  Matthew  and  Luke  both  count  it  through 
Joseph  (Matthew  1,  Luke  3.)  Besides,  if  -the  lineage  of 
Jesus  could  be  counted  through  his  mother,  that  of  the  second 
son  could  also,  and  in  either  case  they  were  brothers  and 
heirs  to  the  priesthood,  and  if  only  cousins  of  Jesus  would  be 
first  entitled  to  considerations  in  priesthood  lines. 

On  page  157,  we  have:  "Second,  the  order  is  from  father 
to  -son ;  and  James  is  not  the  son  of  Jesus  but  of  Joseph ;  there- 
fore James'  only  right  by  lineage  would  be  through  his  father, 
Joseph,  and  not  through  Christ.  Hence,  no  right  to  the 
presidency  by  the  above  order  of  lineage,  as  it  was  not  to  be 
handed  down  from  brother  to  brother,  but  from  father  to 
son.  Except  in  case  of  transgression  or  disqualification." 

It  is  true  enough  that  lineage  is  counted  from  father  to  son, 
as  a  rule.  But  there  are  exceptions.  Two  are  admitted,  and 
this  is  not  all.  Another  is  where  there  is  no  heir  to  occupy 
under  the  rule.  Then  another  rule  obtains,  it  goes  to  the 
nearest  of  kin,  all  other  'things  being  equal.  This  is  shown  in 
the  Nephite  history.  The  lineage  as  counted  may  be  traced 
by  the  transfer  of  the  sacred  things.  They  went  from  Nephi 
to  his  brother  Jacoib.  From  Enos  to  Jarom  (Jarom  1:1), 
from  Jarom  to  Omni  (Omni  1:1),  in  regular  succession. 
From  Amaron  to  his  brother  Chemish  (Omni  1:3,  4) ;  from 
Chemiish  to  Abinadom  (paragraph  5),  Abinadom.  to  Amaleki 
(paragraph  6).  Amaleki,  having  no  children,  delivered  the 
plates  to  King  Benjamin.  They  went  on  down  to  Alma,  then 
to  his  son  Helaman  (Alma  17:5-14);  from  Helaman  to 
Helaman's  brother,  Shiblon  (Alma  30:1);  finally  to  Amos, 
then  to  his  brother  Ammaron  (Nephi  1:  11),  etc.  It  will  be 
observed  that  the  descent  of  the  sacred  records  indicating  the 
lineage  or  genealogical  line,  was  from  father  to  son,  and 


APPENDIX  G.  435 

brother  to  brother;  and  when  there  was  no  brother,  to  others, 
which  shows  the  theory  of  the  writer  of  the  Appendix  wrong 
on  this  point,  also. 

Again  the  writer  goes  on:  "We  will  now  proceed  to  offer 
further  proof  to  show  that  Peter  occupied  the  position  of 
'chief  apostle*  and  president.  1.  Because  he  was  the  first 
called  to  the  apostleship  by  our  Savior  (Matthew  10:  1),  and 
according  to  all  rules  of  choosing  or  appointing  them  the  first 
named  is  president,  where  not  otherwise  designated." 

Allowing  this  as  a  rule  in  business,  for  which  the  Bible 
makes  no  provision,  in  case  of  the  appointment  of  a  committee, 
what  would  the  first  member  selected  be  president  of?  Of 
the  committee,  of  course.  A  committee  appointed  by  Congress, 
then,  would  not  make  the  chairman  of  that  committee,  accord- 
ing to  this  rule,  president  of  the  United  States.  So  accepting 
that  Peter  was  chairman  of  the  council  of  apostles,  there  is 
a  long  distance  between  that  position  and  his  being  made 
president  of  the  church. 

But  we  read  on :  "2.  It  is  evident  that  he  continued  in  this 
chief  office  and  leadership  from  beginning  to  end,  and  was 
so  recognized  by  Christ  both  before  and  after  his  ascension." 

Some  very  bad  logic  here.  Because  a  man  is  appointed  the 
head  of  a  committee  or  quorum  he  is  declared  to  be  the 
head  of  the  church,  and  what  is  equally  as  bad,  he  is  continued 
in  the  leadership  "both  before  and  after  his  ascension."  Ac- 
cording to  this  Peter  was  president  of  the  church  both  before 
and  after  the  crucifixion  and  ascension.  But  what  was  Christ 
doing  all  of  this  time,  that  Peter  was  presiding  over  the 
church  previous  to  the  ascension?  All  of  this  because  he  was 
selected  first  among  the  apostles,  as  head  of  a  "committee." 
But  this  is  not  all;  he  is  continued  "in  this  chief  office  and 
leadership  from  beginning  to  end."  Why,  yes.  From  the 
beginning  to  end  of  what?  The  beginning  and  end  of  the 
church,  or  what?  Or  is  it  the  beginning  and  ending  of  Peter's 
call  to  the  apostleship  to  his  death?  All  there  is  of  fact  in 
any  of  this  is  that  Peter  may  have  been  the  recognized  leader 
of  the  apostolic  quorum  both  before  and  after  Christ's  ascen- 
sion, but  could  not  have  been  the  president  of  the  church  in 


436  PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

either  case,  more  especially  if  he  continued  in  the  position 
"from  beginning  to  end."  Again,  if  Peter  was  made  president 
because  of  being  selected  first,  then  Andrew  should  have  been 
given  the  second  place,  on  similar  grounds  of  being  selected 
second;  but  no,  James  is  admitted  to  have  been  second.  What 
becomes  of  this  supposed  to  be  evidence,  then,  adduced  to 
prove  that  Peter  was  made  president  of  the  church  because  he 
was  first  called  to  the  apostleship? 

"3.  In  the  transfiguration,  Peter  is  the  first  named  and  is 
spokesman  for  the  rest."  This  has  been  answered  in  another 
place.  It  will  be  difficult  to  show,  however,  that  Peter  spoke 
for  anybody  but  himself  on  this  occasion. 

"4.  He  was  chief  speaker  when  the  matter  of  choosing  an 
apostle  instead  of  Judas  was  under  consideration. 

"5.  Peter  was  chief  speaker  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when 
the  important  question  was  asked  by  the  multitude,  etc.,  and 
the  question  was  directed  first  to  him;  second,  'and  to  the 
rest  of  the  apostles/  "  All  there  is  in  any  of  this  is,  that  the 
reading  shows  the  apostles  to  have  been  in  charge  as  a  body. 
"Peter  stood  up  with  the  eleven."  There  is  nothing  indicating 
a  president  or  presidency  about  it.  Peter  is^  shown  to  'be  the 
most  active  member  or  leader  of  the  apostolic  body,  that  Is 
all.  He  stood  with  the  eleven  and  was  therefore  one  of  them 
in  order  to  make  the  twelve. 

"6.  Peter  was  first  of  the  twelve  to  whom  Christ  appeared 
after  the  resurrection."  If  there  is  any  point  in  this,  then 
Mary  Magdalene  should  have  been  the  president,  for  Jesus 
"first"  appeared  to  her.  But  our  author  should  have  cited 
more  passages  in  Peter's  favor.  He  could  have  said,  Peter  was 
the  first  and  only  one  that  cursed  and  swore  and  denied  his 
Lord,  therefore  he  was  to  be  the  president  of  the  church. 
He  was  the  first  to  try  walking  on  the  water  by  faith,  but 
sank,  therefore  he  was  to  be  the  president. 

"7.  Peter  was  chief  in  pronouncing  the  judgment  upon 
Ananias  and  Sapphira."  This  only  shows  Peter  in  his  accus- 
tomed place,  speaking  for  the  apostolic  body.  The  goods 
were  to  be  "laid  at  the  .apostles'  feet,"  not  at  Peter's  feet 


APPENDIX  G.  437 

only,  not  the  feet  of  the  presidency.    So  there  is  no  president 
of  the  church  indicated  here  either. 

"8.  Peter  denounced  the  sorcerer  Simon."  (Acts  8.)  We 
reply  that  Paul  "denounced"  and  rebuked  Elymas  the 
sorcerer  (Acts  13),  so  that  if  rebuking  a  sorcerer  was  evi- 
dence that  Peter  was  to  be  the  president  of  the  church,  the 
same  class  of  evidence  will  make  Paul  the  president.  Hence 
the  writer  of  the  Appendix  gets  more  presidents  on  hand 
than  he  can  dispose  of.  It  only  shows  that  there  is  nothing 
in  his  assumed  positions  and  method  of  reasoning. 

Again,  page  151:  "9.  Peter  received  knowledge  of  the 
Father,  and  Christ  here  commits  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  to 
him.  (Matthew  16:16.)  But  the  objector  says  that  Jfche 
keys,  herein  referred  to,  applied  only  to  Peter's  presidency 
over  .  the  quorum  of  the  twelve." 

Who  this  "objector"  is,  we  are  not  informed.  The  writer 
of  the  Presidency  and  Priesthood,  however,  holds  that  all 
of  the  twelve  hold  "keys,"  and  also  other  ministers,  including 
those  of  the  Aaronic  priesthood,  but  the  ones  in  chief,  as  in 
Peter's  case,  especially  so;  as  is  clearly  presented  in  Doctrine 
and  Covenants  105.  Anyway,  Thomas  B.  Marsh  is  especially 
mentioned  as  the  one  to  hold  the  "keys." 

But  our  author  goes  on,  "We  frankly  confess  (that  we  never 
before  knew  that  the  terms  'quorum'  and  'kingdom'  were 
synonymous."  But  who  has  said  they  were  "synonymous"? 
The  writer  of  Presidency  and  Priesthood  made  no  such  state- 
ment. The  Lord  says  to  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  "Thou  art  the 
man  whom  I  have  chosen  to  hold  the  keys  of  my  kingdom." 
He  then  qualifies  by  saying  ("as  pertaining  to  the  twelve")  : 
but  were  they  not  "keys  of  the  kingdom"  all  the  same?  Did 
it  indicate  that  they  were  not  "keys  of  the  kingdom,"  because 
it  is  explained  what  "keys  of  the  kingdom"  they  were  and 
who  was  to  hold  them?  It  really  looks  as  though  our  author, 
finding  himself  in  a  strait,  has  descended  to  a  little  sophistry 
in  order  to  help  his  theory  out.  Taking  the  man  of  straw 
set  up  in  this  ninth  citation  a  weak  conclusion  might  be 
reached,  but  as  it  reflects  nothing  affirmed  by  us,  or  any 


438  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

other  that  we  know  of,  it  is  meaningless,  as  it  only  reflects  its 
own  absurdity. 

The  position  held  by  the  writer  of  Presidency  and  Priest- 
hood on  the  text  in  Matthew  16  is  that  the  question  pro- 
pounded by  Jesus  as  to  who  he  was,  was  addressed  to  the 
twelve.  Peter  answered  for  himself  and  his  associates,  and 
when  Jesus  said  in  answer,  calling  Peter  by  name,  "And  I 
will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven:  and 
whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  shalt  be  bound  in 
heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be 
loosed  in  heaven,"  the  other  members  of  the  twelve  were  in- 
cluded in  the  authority  to  be  received,  as  seen  in  John  20 :  23, 
when  Jesus  breathed  on  the  twelve,  he  said,  and  to  all  of  them, 
"Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them,  and 
whosesoever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained."  In  harmony 
with  this,  Doctor  William  Smith  says: 

"The  early  church  regarded  Saint  Peter  generally  ...  as 
the  representative  of  the  apostolic  body;  a  very  distinct 
theory  from  that  which  makes  him  their  head,  or  governor  in 
Christ's  stead.  Peter  held  no  distinct  office,  and  certainly 
never  claimed  any  distinct  powers  which  did  not  belong 
equally  to  all  his  fellow  apostles." — Bible  Dictionary,  p.  427. 

This  view  is  the  Bible  view,  and  the  one  expressed  in  Doc- 
trine and  Covenants  105:12:  "For  unto  you  (the  twelve) 
and  those  (the  first  presidency)  who  are  appointed  with  you 
...  is  the  power  of  this  priesthood  given,  .  .  .  the  keys  of 
the  dispensation  which  ye  have  received  come  down  from  the 
fathers,  and  last  of  all  being  sent  down  from  heaven  unto 
you." 

The  power  of  this  priesthood  was  given  to  these  two 
quorums:  "The  keys  of  the  dispensation  which  ye  have 
received  have  come  down  from  the  fathers,  and  last  of  all 
being  sent  down  from  heaven  unto  you."  "And  again  I 
say  unto  you  [Thomas  B.  Marsh]  that  whosoever  ye  shall 
send  in  my  name,  by  the  voice  of  your  brethren,  the  twelve." 
—Paragraph  8.  This  shows  that  the  twelve  acted  together, 
held  the  authority  and  the  keys  along  with  the  presidency,  and 


APPENDIX  G.  439 

they  were  "keys  of  the  kingdom."     So  much  for  that  ninth 
criticism. 

Again  it  is  urged:  "10.  Christ,  the  third  time  having 
appeared  to  his  disciples  after  his  ascension,  still  recognizes 
Peter  as  chief  apostle  and  president  unto  whom  he  had 
previously  given  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  and  not  quorum." 
When  did  Jesus  give  Peter  the  "keys  of  the  kingdom  and 
not  quorum"?  He  promised  to  give  them  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom,  but  when  did  Peter  receive  them?  Oh,  I  see;  it 
was  upon  the  Mount,  fbr  which  there  is  not  an  item  of 
proof.  Does  t/he  author  of  the  Appendix  still  hold  that  the 
keys  given  to  the  twelve  are  not  keys  of  the  kingdom?  But 
to  the  conversation  held  by  the  Savior  with  the  apostles  by 
the  seaside:  Jesus  said  to  Peter,  "Feed  my  sheep." — John 
21 :  15,  16.  Though  this  conversation  was  addressed  to  Peter, 
the  responsibility  to  look  after  and  "feed  my  sheep"  rested 
upon  all  of  the  twelve.  So  it  is  written,  "Now,  I  say  unto 
you, — and  what  I  say  unto  you  I  say  unto  all  the  twelve, — 
Arise  and  gird  up  your  loins,  take  up  your  cross,  follow  me, 
and  feed  my  sheep." — Doctrine  and  Covenants  105 :  6.  It 
is  far  from  "plain  to  be  seen,"  then,  that  Peter's  "charge 
was  not  only  over  the  quorum  of  the  twelve,  but  to  the  whole 
church,  either  congregated  together  or  scattered  abroad."  It 
seems  "plain  to  be  seen"  that  no  such  thing  was  intended, 
if  revelation  can  be  depended  upon. 

Again:  "In  purview  of  this  charge  (to  feed  my  sheep), 
Peter  writes  to  the  'scattered  saints/  called  'strangers'  and 
endeavors  to  'feed'  them  as  the  Savior  had  commanded  him. 
(See  1  Peter  1.)  Again,  in  his  second  letter  he  addresses  'all 
those  who  have  obtained  like  precious  faith  with  us/  thus 
obeying  the  injunction  'feed  my  sheep/"  (2  Peter  1:  1.) 

There  is  nothing  in  this  to  indicate  that  Peter  held  any 
position  in  the  church  but  that  of  an  apostle.  Light  on  this 
point  is  seen  in  the  following  statement  by  Paul:  "Then 
fourteen  years  after,  I  went  up  to  Jerusalem  with  Barnabas, 
and  took  Titus  with  me  also.  And  I  went  up  by  revelation, 
and  communicated  unto  them  that  gospel  which  I  preach 


440  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

among  the  Gentiles,  but  privately  to   them  which  were   of 
reputation." — Galatians  2:1,  2. 

No  doubt  some  were  of  greater  repute  among  their  fellows 
than  others.  Of  the  conference,  Paul  speaks,  in  verse  7, 
"When  they  saw  that  the  gospel  of  the  uncircumcision  was 
committed  unto  me,  as  the  gospel  of  the  circumcision  was 
unto  Peter."  Verse  9 :  "And  when  James,  Cephas,  and  John, 
who  seemed  to  be  pillars,  perceived  the  grace  that  was  given 
unto  me,  they  give  to  me  and  Barnabas  the  right  hands  of 
fellowship ;  that  we  should  go  unto  tfie  heathen,  and  they  unto 
the  circumcision."  Thus  Peter  is  made  the  leading  apostle 
among  the  Jews  and  Paul  among  the  Gentiles.  Both  went 
abroad  to  their  fields  of  labor,  Peter  to  preach  among  the 
circumcision,  and  Paul  among  the  uncircumcision.  In  after- 
years,  both  of  these  apostles  addressed  letters  to  those  among 
whom  they  had  labored  and  built  up  churches,  and  so  far  as  an 
ecumenical  character  in  their  address,  Peter's  shows  no  pre- 
eminence over  that  of  Paul's.  The  Galatian  letter  was 
addressed  by  Paul  to  the  Galatians.  His  first  Corinthian 
letter,  "Unto  the  church  of  God,  which  is  at  Corinth,  to  them 
that  are  sanctified  in  Christ  Jesus,  called  to  be  saints,  with 
all  that  in  every  place  call  upon  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord,  both  theirs  and  ours." — 1  Corinthians  1 :  2.  Nothing 
that  Peter  wrote  partook  so  much  of  the  ecumenical  charac- 
ter as  this  letter  written  by  Paul.  Peter's  first  epistle  was 
addressed,  "To  the  strangers  abroad  throughout  Pontus, 
Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia,  and  Bithynia."  His  second  letter 
was  addressed  to  the  same  people  (see  2  Peter  3:1)  and  he 
writes,  "That  ye  may  be  mindful  of  the  words  which  were 
spoken  before  by  the  holy  prophets,  and  of  the  commandment 
of  us,  the  apostles  of  the  Lord  and  Savior." — Ibid.,  3 :  2. 
Here  Peter  puts  himself  with  the  other  apostles.  Peter 
addressed  his  letters  to  those  among  whom  he  had  labored,  as 
is  admitted  by  all  scholars.  Hence  there  is  nothing  in  the 
claim  made  that  Peter  was  a>whit  ahead  of  Paul.  If  there 
is  evidence  for  Peter's  being  president,  there  is  more  for 
Paul;  and  as  indicated  before,  this  brings  to  the  surface  too 
many  presidents,  so  defeats  the  assumption  of  the  writer. 


APPENDIX  G.  441 

The  facts  in  regard  to  the  saying,  "Feed  my  sheep,"  etc.,  are 
these:  The  apostles,  it  appears,  had  become  discouraged, 
and  Peter  said,  "I  go  a-fishing.  They  say  unto  him,  We  also 
go  with  thee."  This  was  their  old  employment,  and  Peter 
was  their  former  captain  and  leader  in  the  business,  before 
they  started  to  follow  the  Nazarene.  At  least  Peter  and 
Andrew  were  in  company  with  James  and  John  and  their 
father  Zebedee,  and  they  had  hired  servants  as  helpers. 
Peter  was  the  leader.  This  will  account  for  the  fact  that 
the  other  apostles  looked  to  Peter  so  readily  as  a  leader. 
He  was  a  man  of  affairs,  prominent  and  relied  upon  in  a 
business  sense  before  Jesus  appeared  among  them.  On  the 
occasion  here  referred  -to  Jesus  perceived  that  they  had 
a  longing  and  desire  to  return  to  their  former  vocations,  and 
thereby  seek  a  livelihood,  rather  than  go  ,to  the  harder  task, 
that  of  the  ministry;  so  Jesus  put  the  question,  and  to  the 
leader,  "Lovest  thou  me  more  than  these?"  These  what? 
Wihy,  these  fishes  and  nets  -that  were  -the  means  of  their  living 
and  wealth.  Jesus  wished  to  impress  upon  their  minds,  that 
if  they  loved  him,  they  would  have  to  make  the  sacrifice  and 
give  up  the  fishing  business  and  attend  to  the  ministry, — 
"Feed  my  sheep."  He  knew  they  loved  him,  and  he  used 
this  strongest  tie  and  motive  force  to  win  them  from  their 
nets,  and  encourage  them  not  to  labor  for  the  things  that 
perish,  but  to  carry  out  the  commission  to  preach  the  gospel 
and  catch  men.  Peter  was  the  most  culpable  of  any  for  this 
seeming  desertion,  as  he  was  the  leader  in  and  out  of  the 
church.  Only  a  few  days  had  passed  since  he  was  cursing 
and  swearing  and  denying  the  Lord.  Hence  Jesus  plied  him 
thoroughly,  and  what  he  said  to  Peter  was  meant  for  the 
re?t  as  well,  as  expressed  in  Doctrine  and  Covenants  105:  6: 
"What  I  say  unto  you  I  say  unto  all  the  twelve, — Arise  and 
gird  up  your  loins,  take  up  your  cross,  follow  me,  and  feed 
my  sheep."  So  the  claim  to  Peter's  primacy  fails  here  also. 

But  we  will  take  up  and  consider  the  point  presented  by 
the  -writer  of  the  Appendix  to  Exegesis  on  Acts  15,  in 
regard  to  the  conference  held  at  Jerusalem  by  the  apostles 
and  elders.  There  had  been  a  growing  feeling  and  conten- 


442  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

tion  between  the  Gentiles  at  Antioch,  whose  rights  under  the 
gospel  were  defended  by  Paul  and  Barnabas,  and  the  Jewish 
converts  in  regard  to  keeping  the  law  of  Moses.  The  Jewish 
converts  insisted  that  certain  Jewish  customs  that  were 
mentioned  in  the  law  should  be  observed  by  the  Gentiles. 
The  contention  went  on  until  it  came  to  be  so  serious  that  it 
was  necessary  to  carry  it  before  the  church  authorities  at 
Jerusalem.  Paul  was  strongly  in  sympathy  with  the  Gentile 
claims,  and  defended  them,  being  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles. 
Peter,  on  the  other  hand,  was  the  apostle  and  leader  among 
the  circumcision,  sometimes  standing  firm  for  the  rights  of 
the  Gentiles,  at  other  times  vacillating  and  catering  to  the 
demands  of  the  Jews.  So  it  was  necessary  for  Paul,  in 
defending  the  rights  of  the  Gentiles,  to  oppose  Peter.  He 
says,  "But  when  Peter  was  come  to  Antioch,  I  withstood  him 
to  the  face,  because  he  was  to  be  blamed." — Galatians  2:  11. 
The  dissension  began  at  Antioch,  by  the  Jews  insisting, 
"Except  ye  be  circumcised,  after  the  manner  of  Moses,  ye  can 
not  be  saved."  Paul  and  Barnabas  took  the  matter  up  to 
Jerusalem,  where  the  contention  was  going  on  also.  "And 
the  apostles  and  elders  came  together  for  to  consider  of  this 
matter." — Acts  15:6.  The  assembly  was  organized  and  had 
a  chairman.  The  writer  of  the  Appendix  assumes  that  Peter 
was  the  'president  of  that  council.  But  in  this  he  stands  >alone. 
No  other  writer  whom  we  have  read  after  so  holds,  whether 
he  follows  the  theory  of  Jerome  or  not.  In  the  council  Paul 
and  Barnabas  were  the  chiefs  on  one  side,  and  Peter  on  the 
other.  These  great,  experienced  leaders  sat  in  silence  while 
the  conflict  went  on  among  the  more  contentious  ones ;  the 
hotheads  were  to  the  front.  So,  "after  there  had  been  much 
disputing,  Peter  arose"  (not  from  the  chair,  but  down  on  the 
floor)  and  simply  reiterated  his  experience  he  had  years 
before,  down  at  Joppa  and  the  house  of  Cornelius,  and  con- 
cluded by  objecting  to  the  view  being  held  by  some,  to  put 
a  yoke  upon  the  necks  of  the  disciples.  "Then  all  the  mul- 
titude kept  silence  and  gave  audience  to  Barnabas  and  Paul." 
They  made  their  speeches.  The  chief  ministers  to  Jew  and 
Gentile  had  now  been  heard,  together  with  those  who  had 


APPENDIX  G.  443 

stirred  up  the  dissension.  Then  what?  "And  after  they 
had  held  their  peace,  James  answered  saying,  Men  and 
brethren,  hearken  unto  me." — Verse  13.  "My  sentence  is 
that  we  trouble  not  them,  which  from  among  the  Gentiles 
are  turned  to  God."— Verse  19.  This  decision  closed  the  mat- 
ter. As  is  well  expressed  in  the  DLaglott,  "Therefore  I  judge." 
Correct  enough, — he  had  to  judge  in  order  to  cast  "sentence." 
But  in  his  ambition  to  do  something  for  Peter,  the  writer  of 
the  Appendix  makes  Peter  ithe  president  and  has  him  decide 
the  matter,  and  then  James  decides  it,  and  finally  the  Holy 
Ghost  decides  it.  But  what  is  worse,  he  has  it,  "Peter  was 
the  first  to  rise  and  render  his  decision  as  presiding  officer." 
Still  the  discussion  goes  on  just  the  same.  Nothing  is  said 
about  Peter  deciding  anything,  or  presiding,  yet  it  is  clear 
to  this  writer  that  he  did.  However,  the  discussion  went  3n 
until  the  chief  leaders  had  spoken,  and  then  James  said,  "My 
sentence  is,"  etc.,  after  which  there  was  no  more  discussion, 
but  a  general  agreement  or  assent  to  the  decision  of  James, 
and  letters  of  instruction  and  congratulations  ordered  sent 
abroad.  So  our  critic  has  lost  his  point  on  this. 

We  are  told  that  this  "was  a  special  conference  of  the 
apostles  and  elders  at  Jerusalem,  and  not  of  the  church  in 
general."  But  the  Book  says,  "Then  pleased  it  the  apostles 
and  elders,  with  the  whole  church,  to  send  chosen  men,"  etc. 

Page  153,  Appendix,  states:  "We  wish  to  call  attention 
to  another  important  point  that  supports  the  position  that 
Peter  was  the  president  of  the  church.  The  fact  that  God 
who  sent  his  angel  to  Cornelius  ( \cts  10)  and  directed  him 
to  send  for  Peter  to  present  unto  them  the  'words  of  life 
and  salvation/  and  also  the  vision  which  God  gave  Peter, 
proves  emphatically  that  God  recognized  Peter  as  the  head 
of  the  church  on  earth." 

But  there  is  nothing  required  here  but  what  is  provided 
for  in  Peter's  calling  as  an  apostle.  It  was  in  the  line  with 
the  sending  of  Ananias  to  seek  out  the  unconverted  and  blind 
Saul  of  Tarsus;  Philip  joining  himself  to  the  chariot  (Acts 
8) ;  and  Paul  being  beckoned  to  go  into  Macedonia.  This 
work  belonged  to  the  ministry  abroad  and  not  to  a  localized 


444  PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

president.  At  this  time,  however,  «as  in  ibhe  case  of  filling  the 
place  of  Judas,  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  rebuking  of  Ananias 
and  Sappihira,  the  selecting  of  the  seven,  etc.,  'there  -may  have 
been  no  permanent  president  selected  at  Jerusalem. 

We  are  not  told  just  when  James  was  made  president; 
neither  are  we  told  when  and  how  elders  and  bishops  were 
introduced.  We  find  them  in  existence,  and  in  due  time 
J'ames  was  made  the  president  of  the  church. 

"With  the  apostles,  James,  the  brother  of  the  Lord,  suc- 
ceeds to  the  charge  of  the  church, — that  James  who  has  been 
called  'Just'  from  the  time  of  rthe  Lord  to  our  day,  for  there 
were  many  of  the  name  of  James,  etc." — Hegesippus. 

Again:  "For  the  church  of  Jerusalem,  James,  the  Lord's 
brother,  was  the  first  bishop  thereof,  as  all  ancient  writers 
agree,  though  when  and  by  whom  he  was  ordained  they  are 
not  so  unanimous;  for  some  say  by  the  apostles,  after  the 
Lord's  crucifixion;  others,  by  Christ  himself;  and  others 
again,  both  ,by  Christ  and  the  apostles." — Bingham. 

But  there  is  no  history  that  places  Peter  as  president 
either  by  Christ  or  the  apostles  or  anybody  else. 

Again,  the  position  assumed  by  the  writer  of  the  Appen- 
dix is  absurd,  in  the  light  of  the  commission  and  authority 
given  to  the  apostles,  to  require  that  the  president  of  the 
church  should  perform  all  the  work  in  person  outlined  by  the 
writer.  There  is  neither  law  nor  precedent  for  it.  The 
Lord  works  through  whom  he  will.  The  apostles  were  his 
chief  ministers  abroad,  -and  he  directed  them  in  the  work 
to  be  done  in  the  ministry  abroad.  He  said,  "Lo  I  am  with 
you  always."  Peter,  with  the  other  apostles  selected  at  Jeru- 
salem, lived  and  died  apostles  (those  of  them  who  did  die) 
and  are  apostles  yet  in  heaven,  under  the  direction  of.  Jesus 
Christ  the  great  head  of  the  church,  and  can  be  sent  by  him 
to  minister  to  men  on  earth;  hence  Peter,  James,  and  John 
were  sent  by  their  Master  to  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  the  Seer, 
and  Oliver  Cowdery  to  direct  in  the  bestowing  of  the  priest- 
hood upon  them  and  their  ordination.  It  was  not  required 
to  isend  a  former  president  of  the  church  on  earth,  whoever 
he  may  have  been,  to  do  this  work,  neither  to  come  himself. 


APPENDIX  G.  445 

He  trusted  the  three  strong  ones,  those  best  known,  of  the 
old  guard,  Peter,  James,  and  John,  and  sent  them.  So  every- 
thing is  orderly  and  right,  if  only  the  right  view  is  had.  So 
the  criticisms  and  evidences  adduced  by  the  writer  of  the 
Appendix  to  the  Exegesis  of  the  Priesthood  fails  to  main- 
tain his  "contention,"  and  much  of  it  is  not  strong,  to  say 
the  least,  and  is  only  noticed  because  of  the  importance  of 
the  subject  in  hand,  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  inexperienced 
who  are  likely  to  read  it. 

Further  evidence  on  the  disputed  points  raised,  is  con- 
tinued as  follows,  to  which  the  reader's  attention  is  called: 

"James,  Epistle  of,  one  of  «the  books  of  the  New  Testament 
canon,  which  has  been  ascribed  to  James  the  son  of  Zebedee, 
to  a  pseudo  James  who  assumed  the  name  to  get  authority, 
to  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  and  to  James  the  brother  of 
the  Lord.  .  .  .  The  entire  recent  literature  on  the  epistle 
is  reviewed  in  the  Studin  und  Kritiken,  January,  1874,  by 
Professor  Berschlag,  who  believes  that  it  was  written  by 
James,  the  brother  of  the  Lord,  whom  he  distinguishes  from 
both  the  apostles  of  that  name." — The  American  Encyclopedia, 
vol.  9,  p.  519. 

"James  the  son  of  Alphaeus.  He  also  was  one  of  the 
apostles,  and  is  mentioned  in  all  the  four  lists  (Matthew 
10:3;  Mark  3:18;  Luke  6:15;  Acts  1:13)  by  this  name, 
but  in  no  other  place.  lit  is,  however,  thought  by  some  that 
he  is  the  same  with 

"James  the  Lord's  brother.  In  Matthew  13 :  55,  and  Mark 
6 :  3,  the  brethren  of  the  Lord  are  named  James,  Joses,  Judas, 
and  Simon.  It  is  also  to  be  remarked  that  they  are  in  both 
places  spoken  of  as  the  children  of  the  carpenter,  that  is, 
of  Joseph  the  husband  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  But  it  has  been 
urged  that  they  were  called  sons  of  Joseph  and  Mary  because 
the  children  of  two  families, — of  Mary  the  Virgin  and  Mary 
the  wife  of  Clopas,  her  half  sister, — were  brought  up  to- 
gether. Those  who  in  this  'way  make  James,  the  Lord's 
brother,  to  be  a  son  of  AlphaBus  require  to  establish  (a)  that 
Clopas  is  the  same  name  as  Alphaeus;  (b)  that  Mary  the  wife 
of  Clopas  (John  19:  25)  was  the  sister  of  the  Virgiin  Mary, 


446  PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

and  (c)  that  this  Mary,  wife  of  Clopas,  is  the  same  who  is 
called  (Matthew  31:56;  Mark  15:40)  Mary  the  mother  of 
James  and  Joses,  and  (Mark  16:  1;  Luke  24:  10)  simply  the 
mother  of  James,  in  which  four  passages  the  same  person 
is  evidently  intended. 

"But  the  identity  of  the  names  Alphseus  and  Clopas  is  by 
no  means  certain.  Those  who  maintain  it  take  Clopas  as  the 
Aramaic  Chalpai,  and  Alphaeus  to  be  a  Grsecized  form 
thereof.  But  when  we  turn  to  what  might  be  supposed  the 
best  source  of  evidence  on  this  point,  viz.,  the  Peshito  ver- 
sion of  the  New  Testament,  instead  of  finding  the  two 
names  treated  as  the  same  word,  we  find  in  all  cases  Chalpai 
where  the  Greek  has  Alphseus,  and  where  Clopas  or  Cleopas 
occurs,  it  is  simply  transliterated  Kleeopha.  The  same  is 
the  case  with  the  Jerusalem  Syriac.  The  identity  of  these 
names  is,  thus,  far  from  being  established.  Then  in  John 
19 : 25,  tihe  versions  and  best  authorities  are  in  favor 
of  making  four  persons  of  those  there  mentioned:  'his 
mother,  and  his  mother's  sister,  and  Mary  the  wife  of  Clopas, 
and  Mary  Magdalene/  This  is  the  Peshito  rendering,  and, 
even  if  the  conjunction  were  not  there,  it  is  not  uncommon 
in  scriptural  enumeration  to  find  names  given  in  pairs  with- 
out any  conjunction,  while  to  make  Mary  the  wife  of  Clopas 
the  Virgin's  sister  would  be  to  assume  two  Marys  in  the 
same  family  of  sisters,  which  is  not  very  probable.  Whether 
Mary  wife  of  Clopas  was  the  mother  of  a  ' James'  (called  in 
one  place  'the  little')  and  of  Joses  can  neither  be  asserted 
nor  denied  from  the  evidence  in  the  Gospels;  but,  when  the 
other  two  assumptions  have  so  little  foundation  to  rest  on, 
it  seems  impossible  to  consider  the  son  of  Alphaeus  the  same 
person  with  the  'brother  of  the  Lord/ 

"Further,  James  the  Lord's  brother  was  bishop  of  Jerusa- 
lem (compare  Galatdans  1:19  with  Galatians  2:9-12),  and 
was  president  of  the  church  in  its  earliest  days.  (Acts 
12:  17;  20:  13;  21:  18.)  Suah  a  position  required  him  to  be 
a  resident  in  Jerusalem,  while  had  he  been  an  apostle  (as  the 
son  of  Alphseus  was)  we  should  have  expected  him  to  take 
his  share  of  the  missionary  labor  of  publishing  the  gospel  in 


APPENDIX  G.  447 

distant  lands.  But  this  bishop  of  Jerusalem  was  the  author 
of  the  epistle  of  Saint  James.  He  simply  styles  himself  in 
the  introduction  thereto  'a  servant  of  God  and  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.'  He  who  could  thus  write  with  the  certainty 
of  being  identified  must  have  been  the  most  famous  person 
of  his  name  in  the  church,  must  have  been  what  Saint  Paul 
in  a  passage  (Galatians  2:9),  where  he  places  James  before 
both  Peter  and  John,  calls  him  'a  pillar*  of  the  Christian 
society.  And  again  Jude,  when  commencing  his  epistle,  calls 
himself  the  brother  of  James,  with  no  other  mark  of  dis- 
tinction. Here  too  the  same  James  must  be  intended,  and 
when  we  read  Saint  Jude's  epistle  (17,  18)  we  find  him  dis- 
tinguishing himself  from  -the  apostles,  and  as  it  were  dis- 
claiming the  apostolic  dignity.  This  .is  as  it  would  'be  if 
James  and  Jude  were  both  brethren  of  -the  Lord  and  were 
not  apostles,  but  we  should  certainly  expect  one  or  other 
would  have  left  some  indication  in  their  letters  had  they  been 
of  the  number  of  the  twelve,  and  moat  -surely  -neither  of 
them  would  have  been  likely  to  give  us  reason  for  believing 
that  he  was  not  an  apostle. 

"The  two  passages  (1  Corinthians  15:7;  Galatians  1:19) 
from  which  it  might  be  argued  that  James  the  brother  of  the 
Lord  was  an  apostle  can  not  be  relied  on,  for  we  find  the 
same  title  given  to  Barnabas,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  name 
'apostle*  began  to  be  more  widely  applied  after  the  ascen- 
sion than  it  is  in  the  Gospels. 

"Once  more,  the  brethren  of  the  Lord  are  expressly  said 
(John  7:5)  not  to  have  believed  on  Jesus  at  a  peniod  much 
later  in  his  ministry  than  the  appointment  of  the  twelve; 
while  in  mention  of  them  in  Acts  1 :  14  there  is  given  first 
a  list  of  the  eleven,  who  are  said  all  to  have  continued  in 
prayer  with  the  women  and  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus  and 
with  his  brethren.  Such  a  studied  severance  of  the  brethren 
of  the  Lord  from  the  number  of  the  apostles  is  very  signifi- 
cant, while  the  position  which  they  hold  in  the  list  may 
well  be  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was  only  at  a  late  period  that 
they  had  become  disciples  of  Jesus.  The  change  in  their 
opinions  has  been  thought  by  many  to  be  sufficiently 


448  PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

accounted  for  by  the  statement  of  Saint  Paul  (1  Corinthians 
15:  7)  that  after  his  resurrection  Jesus  'was  seen  of  James.' 
Such  a  demonstration  of  the  truth  of  what  others  had  long 
believed  and  Jesus  himself  had  taught  could  not  fail  to 
work  conviction  on  a  mind  which,  if  we  may  accept  the 
tradition  of  the  'Gospel  according  to  the  Hebrews'  (which 
also  testifies  -to  this  appearance  of  Christ  to  James),  was 
somewhat  inclined  to  believe,  even  before  the  crucifixion. 

"It  seems  right,  therefore,  to  conclude  that  James  the  son 
of  Alphaaus,  one  of  the  apostles,  was  a  different  person  from 
James  the  Lord's  brother  and  bishop  of  Jerusalem.  Of  the 
history  of  the  former  we  are  told  nothing  except  that  he  was 
an  apostle.  The  latter  is  spoken  of  by  Saint  Peter  (Acts 
12:  17)  as  if  he  were  at  that  time  the  recognized  head  of  the 
Christian  community  in  Jerusalem.  Again  (Acts  15:13), 
after  the  debate  at  Jerusalem  about  the  circumcision  of 
the  Gentiles,  it  is  he  who  sums  up  the  -arguments  and 
declares  the  sentence  of  the  council,  as  if  he  were  the  chief 
person  among  them.  In  Acts  21 :  18,  on  Saint  Paul's  last 
visit  to  Jerusalem,  he  ihoilds  the  same  position,  land  receives 
the  visit  of  Saint  Paul  in  the  presence  of  all  the  presbytery. 
In  Gala-tia-ns  1 :  19 ;  2 :  9,  »he  is  placed  foremost  among  'the 
pillars'  of  the  church  at  Jerusalem." — Encyclopedia  Britan- 
nica,  vol.  13,  pp.  532,  533. 

The  interested  critic  will  peruse  with  satisfaction  the 
learned  -disquisition  of  Reverend  T.  K.  Cheyne,  M.  A.,  D.  D., 
Oriel  Professor  of  Holy  Scripture,  Oxford,  in  this  connection 
as  being  among  the  best  /thoughts  -upon  the  subject  from  the 
other  side  of  the  water,  and  which  is  herewith  submitted : 

"James  (Jacobus) ,  the  name  of  three  persons  preeminently 
mentioned  in  the  New  Testament — James  the  ,son  of  Zebedee, 
James  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  and  James  the  brother  of  Jesus. 
The  first  two  of  these  are  included  in  the  lists  of  the  apos- 
tles given  in  the  Synoptic  gospels  and  Acts  (Matthew  10:  2 
F,  Mark  3:17  F,  Luke  6:14  F,  Acts  1:13).  The  former 
of  this  pair  was  a  brother  of  John;  their  father  a  Galilean 
fisherman,  probably  a  resident  of  Capernaum. 

"Of  James   the   son   of   Alphaeus,   called   in    Mark   15:40 


APPENDIX  G.  449 

James  the  less  (minor,  younger)  little  is  recorded  in  the 
New  Testament.  According  to  the  same  passage,  his  mother 
was  a  certain  Mary  who  is  there  "mentioned  as  a  witness  of 
the  crucifixion.  .  .  .  The  question  whether  James  the  son 
of  Alphaeus  was  identical  with  James  the  brother  of  Jesus 
must  be  discussed  before  the  consideration  of  the  latter. 
Doubtless  in  early  times,  and  perhaps  latterly,  a  prepos- 
session in  favor  of  the  perpetual  virginity  of  Mary  the  mother 
of  Jesus  has  had  an  influence  in  determining  some  scholars 
to  maintain  the  affirmative  of  this  question.  It  is  argued 
that  from  Matthew  27:56,  Mark  15:40,  and  John  19:25 
the 'inference  may  be  drawn  that  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus 
had  a  sister  Mary  who  wtas  the  wife  of  Cleopas,  and  that 
she  was  the  mother  of  two  sons,  James  the  little  and  Joses. 
Moreover,  since  James,  Joses  (or  Joseph),  Judas,  and  Simon 
are  mentioned  in  Matthew  13 :  55  and  Mark  6 :  3  as  brothers  of 
Jesus,  and  since  in  Luke  6:  16  and  Acts  1:  13  a  James  and  a 
Jude  are  included  among  the  apostles,  it  has  been  argued 
that  these  latter  were  identical  with  the  James  and  Judas 
mentioned  among  the  brothers  of  Jesus,  yet  they  were  not  his 
brothers,  but  cousins.  In  support  of  this  hypothesis  it  is 
maintained  that  James  called  the  brother  of  Jesus,  men- 
tioned explicitly  by  Paul  in  Galatians  1 :  19  as  such,  and 
frequently  elsewhere  as  simply  'James/  and  always  indicated 
as  holding  a  prominent  place  in  the  church  at  Jerusalem, 
was  no  other  but  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  who  is  identified- 
by  the  hypothesis  with  Clopas  of  John  19:  25.  Thus  he  would 
be  shown  to  have  been  a  cousin  of  Jesus,  being  a  son  of  a 
sister  of  Mary,  Jesus'  mother,  and  one  of  the  original 
apostles. 

"This  argumentation  is,  however,  beset  with  insuperable 
difficulties.  If  the  apostle  Lebbeus  (Matthew  10:3;  but 
R.  V.  and  W.  H.  Thaddeus)  who  is  called  Thaddeus  in  Mark 
3:  18,  and  who  by  the  hypothesis  was  identical  with  'Judas 
of  James'  of  Luke  and  Acts  was  by  the  first  evangelists 
known  to  have  been  a  brother  of  James  the  son  of  Alph»us, 
it  is  improbable  that  this  writer  would  not  have  indicated 
the  fact  after  the  analogy  of  Simon  and  Andrew  his  brother, 


450  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

and  James  and  John  his  brother.  It  is  no  less  improbable 
that  if  Judas  and  Simon  were  sons  of  Alphaeus  and  the 
Mary  in  question,  they  would  not  have  been  mentioned  along 
with  Joses  in  Matthew  27 :  56  and  Mark  15 :  40. 

"It  is  also  evident  from  the  attitude  of  Jesus'  brothers 
toward  him,  according  to  Mark  3:  21,  31,  that  they  could  not 
have  belonged  to  the  friendly  apostolic  group.  For  they  are 
here  represented  .as  'standing  without/  and  were  probably 
of  the  'his  friends'  who  went  out  to  lay  hold  on  him,  because 
he  was,  they  thought,  beside  himself.  (Compare  John  7:  5.) 
In  this  connection  the  fact  is  important  that  wherever  they 
are  mentioned  in  the  New  Testaament  they  are  distinguished 
from  the  apostles  (Matthew  12:46,  Luke  8:19,  John  7:3, 
Acts  1:14,  1  Corinthians  9:5;  'the  other  apostles'  [besides 
Paul]  and  the  brother  of  'the  Lord).  Besides  -there  is 
nowhere  an  intimation  that  any  one  of  the  apostles  was  either 
a  brother  or  cousin  of  Jesus.  The  attempt  to  show  from 
John  19:  25  that  Mary,  the  so-called  wife  of  Clopas  (identi- 
fied by  the  hypothesis  with  Alphaeus) ,  was  the  sister  of  the 
mother  of  Jesus  and  that  hence  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus 
was  his  cousin,  is  hazardous.  For  it  is  doubtful  whether 
Clopas  and  Alphaeus  are  Aramatic  <and  Greek  forms  of  the 
same  name,  since  the  Syriac  version  uniformly  transliterates 
them  differently  (Cleopha  and  Halpai).  .  .  .  The  opinion 
that  four  women  instead  of  three  are  mentioned  here  has  the 
-support  of  the  Syriac  version  and  many  of  the  highest 
authorities  (see  Meyer  on  the  passage,  and  Mesler  m  St. 
Kr.  40,  p.  650).  Besides,  'the  position  is  quite  tenable  that 
according  to  the  prevailing  usus  loquendi,  'Mary  of  Clopas' 
means  Mary  the  daughter  of  Clopas,  in  which  case  Clopas 
would  be  known  only  as  the  father  of  the  Mary  mentioned 
in  John  19:  25;  see  Clopas.  Thus  in  any  case  the  improbable 
supposition  that  in  the  same  family  there  were  two  sisters 
of  the  same  name  is  obviated. 

"Still,  even  if  it  could  be  shown  that  James  the  son  of 
Alphaeus  was  a  cousin  of  Jesus,  it  would  not  follow  that 
another  James  was  not  his  brother,  since  better  reasons  than 
those  given  by  Lange  and  Meyrick  are  required  -to  justify 


APPENDIX  G.  451 

the  abandonment  of  the  natural  mean-ing  of  adelphos.  Nor 
is  it  necessary  to  resort  to  the  supposition  of  'stepbrothers; 
for  according:  to  the  obvious  sense  of  'firstborn'  (protokos, 
Luke  2:7;  Matthew  1:  25  Sin.  Syr.)  Mary  -was  the  mother 
of  other  sons  than  Jesus. 

'  himes  the  brother  of  Jesus,  surnamed  the  Just,  although 
sharing  with  the  brothers,  of  whom  he  was  probably  the 
oldest,  in  their  opposition  to  Jesus  during  his  public  ministry, 
appears  to  have  been  converted  to  his  cause  soon  after  the 
resurrection.  According  to  Galatians  1:18,  2:9,  Paul  finds 
James  holding  a  prominent  place  in  the  Christian  com- 
munity in  Jerusalem  along  with  Peter  and  John,  and  with 
these  three,  'reputed  pillars  of  the  church*  he  came  to  an 
arrangement  respecting  his  mission  to  the  Gentiles.  So 
great  was  the  influence  or  authority  of  James  that  Peter 
was  controlled  by  him  at  Antioch  in  the  matter  of  eating 
with  the  Gentiles.  For  when  'certain'  from  James  came, 
he  drew  back  and  separated  himself,  fearing  them  which 
were  of  the  circumcision  (Galatians  2:  12).  From  this  fact 
and  from  Paul's  statement  that,  yielding  from  tne  emissaries, 
the  rest  of  the  Jews  dissembled,  'and  even  Barnabas  was 
:ed  away  with  their  dissimulation/  the  inference  is  obvi- 
ous that  this  brother  of  Jesus  was  the  acknowledged  head  of 
the  Jewish  Christian  party  in  the  church  of  Jerusalem,  and 
a  zealot  for  the  strict  observance  of  the  Jewish  law." — Ency- 
clopedia Biblica,  edited  by  the  Reverend  T.  K.  Cheyne,  M. 
A.,  D.  D.,  Oriel  Professor  of  the  Interpretation  of  Holy 
Scripture  at  Oxford  and  formerly  Fellow  of  Ballial  College, 
Canon  of  Rochester,  and  J.  Southerland  Black,  M.  A.,  LL. 
D.,  formerly  assistant  editor  of  the  Encyclopedia  Britannica, 
volume  2,  pages  2317,  2320. 

"James  the  Lord's  brother;  author  of  the  'Epistle  of 
James.'  He  is  described  as  holding  office  in  the  church  at 
Jerusalem,  and  appears  to  have  been  president  of  the  coun- 
cil that  met  there  in  A.  D.  50  or  51."— The  Century  Cyclo- 
pedia, p.  539. 

The  article  of  the  celebrated  scholar  and  historian,  Doctor 
Philip  Schaff,  is  also  submitted  as  furnishing  the  best  attain- 


452  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

able  evidences  from  the  standpoint  of  a  faithful  historian,  as 
follows: 

"JAMES,  the  name  of  three  important  characters  of  the 
New  Testament. 

"I.  James,  the  son  of  Zebedee. — His  mother,  Salome,  was 
a  follower  of  Jesus  (Matthew  27:56;  Mark  15:41).  He 
was  a  brother  of  John,  and  older  than  he,  as  /is  very  probable 
from  the  fact  that  his  name  is  almost  always  mentioned 
before  John's  (Matthew  10:2;  Mark  3:17,  etc.)  lit  is 
likely,  though  not  certain,  that  he  became  a  follower  of 
Christ  immediately  after  the  baptism  in  the  Jordan  (John 
1:32;  sqq).  He  and  his  brother  were  surnamed  Boanerges, 
i.  e.,  'son  of  thunder/  by  Christ  (Mark  3:  17).  The  reason 
for  giving  this  designation  is  not  recorded.  He  certainly  did 
not  intend  an  allusion  to  their  eloquence,  ias  the  Fathers 
supposed.  The  more  probable  view  is,  that  the  surname  had 
reference  to  their  passionate  and  vehement  nature,  both  in 
thought  and  emotion,  which  sometimes  showed  itself  in 
ambitious  .aspirations  (Mark  10:  35;  sqq)  for  a  place  of 
honor  in  the  Messianic  Kingdom,  but  also  in  an  ardent  attach- 
ment to  the  person  of  Christ. 

"James  belonged,  with  John  and  Peter,  to  the  narrower 
circle  of  Christ's  more  intimate  disciples;  was  admitted  into 
the  chamber  of  Jairus'  daughter  (Mark  5:  37),  to  the  vision 
of  the  transfiguration  (Mark  9:2),  and  to  the  scene  of  the 
agony  in  Gethsemane  (Matthew  26).  Nothing  further  is 
recorded  of  him  than  his  death  by  the  sword,  under  Herod 
Agrippa  I  (Acts  12:2).  He  was  the  first  of  the  apostles 
to  suffer  martyrdom;  and  thus,  in  a  more  pronounced  meas- 
ure than  in  the  case  of  John,  the  prediction  of  Christ  was 
fulfilled  in  his  experience,  that  the  brothers  should  indeed 
drink  of  his  cup,  and  be  baptized  with  his  baptism  (Mark 
10:  39)  ;  and  at  least  in  point  of  time,  he  received  the  second 
place  of  honor  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Ecclesiastical 
tradition  says  that  the  accuser  of  James  confessed  Christ, 
and,  after  receiving  the  apostle's  pardon,  himself  suffered 
martyrdom  (Clement  Alexander  in  Eusebius'  Ecclesiastical 
History  2,  9).  The  Church  of  Spain  boasts  that  he  shared 


APPENDIX  G.  453 

in  its  foundation,  but  its  fables  are  in  conflict  with  the 
statements  of  the  New  Testament. 

"II.  James,  the  son  of  Alphseus. — One  of  the  twelve  dis- 
ciples of  Jesus.  He  is  so  designated  in  four  places, — Mat- 
thew 10:  3;  Mark  3:  18;  Luke  6:  15;  Acts  1:  13.  No  other 
passage  can  with  certainty  be  regarded  as  referring  to  him 
or  his  famiiy,  and  nothing  further  is  known  definitely  of  his 
life.  The  alleged  blood  relationship  of  his  family  with  the 
house  of  Jesus  lacks  all  evidence.  This  hypothesis  identifies 
his  father  Alphaeus  with  Olopas,  and  makes  'Mary  the 
wife  of  Clopas'  (John  19:  25)  a  sister  of  Mary  the  mother 
of  Jesus,  or  Clopas  a  brother  of  Joseph  (Hegesippus).  These 
suggestions  are  pure  assumptions;  for  it  is  not  at  all  cer- 
tain that  Maria  e  tou  Klopa  means  the  wife  of  Clopas.  It 
may  mean  the  mother,  or  daughter,  of  Clopas.  Nor  has  the 
identification  of  the  name  Alphaeus  with  Clopas  anything  in 
its  favor.  A  further  objection  is  that  sisters  would  not 
be  apt  to  have  the  same  name,  Mary.  It  is  possible  that 
he  is  the  James  whose  mother  is  called  Mary  (Matthew 
27:56;  Mark  16:1);  and  who  is  styled  'James  the  Less/ 
and  the  brother  of  Joses  (Mark  15:40).  The  title  'the 
Less'  contained  an  allusion  to  his  stature,  and  was  not  given 
to  distinguish  him  from  James  the  son  of  Zebedee  (Meyer). 
But  it  is  possible  that  another  James  is  here  mentioned,  as 
we  would  rather  expect  the  expression,  'James  the  son  of 
Alphaeus/  Of  his  further  experiences  we  know  nothing, 
except  that  according  to  tradition,  he  labored  in  Egypt, 
where  he  suffered  martyrdom  by  crucifixion,  in  the  city  of 
Ostrakine  (Niceph.  2:  40). 

"III.  James  the  Just,  the  brother  of  the  Lord,  the  head 
of  the  church  at  Jerusalem,  is  distinguished  from  the  "two 
apostles  of  the  same  name  in  Matthew  13 :  55 ;  Mark  6:3; 
Acts  12:17;  15:13;  21:18;  1  Corinthians  15:7;  Galatians 
1:19;  2:9,  12;  James  1:1;  Jude  1;  and  «is  mentioned  by 
Josephus  (Antiquities  20,  9,  1),  Hegesippus  (Eusebius'  Eccle- 
siastical History,  2,  33)  and  the  church  fathers. 

"In  the  early  church  the  existence  of  our  James  as  a 
distinct  person  was  denied  by  some:  he  beinsr  identified  with 


454  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

one  of  the  two  apostles  of  that  name;  and  more  generally 
with  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus.  The  fraternal  relation 
reported  to  have  existed  -between  James  and  Jesus  was 
explained  as  a  relation  between  cousins.  But  Tertullian  is 
a  witness  to  the  fact  that  the  distinction  between  James  and 
the  apostles  was  still  held  in  his  day.  He  speaks  of  .the 
consummation  of  Mary's  marriage  with  Joseph  after  the 
birth  of  Jesus,  and  of  the  brothers  of  Jesus  (De  carne  Christi 
7,  adv,  Marc,  19),  to  prove  (the  reality  of  the  incarnation 
over  against  Gnostic  objections.  At  a  somewhat  later  date 
the  Apostolic  Constitutions  (2. 55,  6. 12,  13)  declare  for 
the  same  view,  when  they  mentioned  as  the  representatives 
of  Catholic  doctrine  the  twelve  apostles,  Paul  and  James 
the  brother  of  the  Lord,  who  is  also  placed  among  the  seventy 
disciples.  That  a  fraternal  relation  is  here  meant  is  vouched 
for  by  another  passage  (7:  46)  :  'I  James,  a  brother  of  the 
Lord  according  to  the  flesh.'  The  testimony  of  Eusebius  is 
also  very  important.  He  clearly  distinguishes  James,  the 
brother  of  the  Lord,  from  the  twelve  apostles,  places  him 
among  the  seventy  disciples,  and  counts  fourteen  apostles 
in  all,  Paul  being  the  thirteenth,  and  James  the  fourteenth 
(Com.  Jes.  17:5;  Ecclesiastical  History  1,  12;  2,  1;  7,  19); 
and  the  passage  (Ecclesiastical  History,  2,  1)  in  which  he 
speaks  of  him  as  the  'so-called'  brother  of  -the  Lord  does 
not  refer  to  a  more  distant  relationship,  for  he  prepares 
the  way  for  his  expression  by  stating  that  Jesus  was  born 
before  the  consummation  of  the  marniage  between  Mary 
and  Joseph.  Gradually  the  presumption  of  the  perpetual 
virginity  of  Mary  gained  currency,  and  the  fraternal  rela- 
tion of  James  was  resolved  into  the  relation  of  a  step-brother. 
It  is  a  matter  of  doubt  whether  this  was  done  by  Hegesippus, 
and  in  the  pseudo-Clementine  writings;  but  it  is  certain  that 
there  is  not  a  trace  in  either  of  an  identification  of  the 
brother  of  the  Lord  with  an  apostle.  Hegesippus  clearly 
makes  this  distinction  (Eusehius'  Ecclesiastical  History,  2, 
23).  In  the  Protevangelium  Jacobi,  which  originated  in 
Essenic  Christian  circles,  Joseph  is  represented  as  having 
been  an  aged  man,  surrounded  with  grown-up  sons,  before 


APPENDIX  G.  455 

his  espousal  with  Mary.  It  was  only  with  hesitation  that 
some  learned  Fathers,  under  the  influence  of  a  growing 
devotion  to  Mary,  adopted  this  fable.  The  first  trace  of  it 
occurs  in  Clement  of  Alexandria, — whom  Origen  followed, 
leaning  upon  Josephus  and  some  others,  (tines  in  the 
Greek)  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  Ecumenius, 
Hilary,  and  others. 

"From  this  hypothesis,  which  -was  entirely  wanting  in  his- 
torical confirmation,  it  was  natural  to  proceed  farther,  and 
resolve  the  fraternal  relation  into  that  of  cousin,  and  identify 
the  so-called  brothers  of  our  Lord  with  the  apostles  of  the 
same  name.  It  is  quite  possible  that  Clement  of  Alexandria 
identifies  James  the  brother  of  the  Lord  with  James  the 
son  of  Alphaeus;  for  he  speaks  of  only  two  men  by  this 
name — the  one  thrown  from  a  tower,  -the  other  executed 
with  the  sword  (Eusebius'  Ecclesiastical  History  2:1).  But 
the  first  to  declare  himself  distinctly  for  this  identification 
was  Jerome,  who  wrote  a  work  against  Helvidius,  advocating 
the  doctrine  of  Mary's  perpetual  virginity.  He  speaks  of 
the  theory  that  James  was  a  son  of  Joseph  by  a  former 
marriage  as  an  ungrounded  fancy  taken  from  the  Apoc- 
rypha, and  tries  to  prove  that  our  James  was  the  same  as 
James  the  son  of  Alphaeus  by  identifying  Mary  of  John 
19:25  ('Mary  the  wife  of  Clopas')  the  sister  of  Jesus' 
mother,  with  the  wife  of  Alphaeus.  He  seems  after  to  have 
renounced  this  theory;  for  in  his  commentary  on  Isaiah 
(17:6)  he  mentions  fourteen  apostles, — the  twelve,  James 
the  brother  of  the  Lord,  and  Paul.  Augustine  spoke  of 
James  as  the  son  of  Joseph  by  a  former  marriage,  or  as  a 
relation  of  Mary.  To  the  latter  view  he  gave  the  preference. 
These  various  views  have  had  their  advocates  among  modern 
divines.  The  theory  that  James  the  Just  was  a  son  of  Mary 
and  Joseph,  and  is  to  be  distinguished  from  the  apostles, 
has  been  held  by  Herder,  Stier,  Credner,  De  Wefote,  Wieseler, 
Neander,  Schaff,  Leohler,  Reuss,  Huther,  B.  Weiss,  Bleck, 
Kefm  [Alford  Farrar],  and  others;  Stier,  WieseJer,  however, 
referring  Acts  12:17,  15:13,  21:18,  Galatians  2:9-12  to 
James  the  son  of  Alphaeus.  Semler,  Hug,  Schneckenburger, 


456  PRESIDENCY   AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

Hoffmann,  Lange,  and  others  identify  our  James  with  James 
the  son  of  Alphseus.  And  Theirsch  and  [Lightfoot]  hold 
that  he  was  a  son  of  Joseph  by  a  former  marriage.  The 
statements  of  the  New  Testament  emphatically  favor  the 
first  view.  The  expressions  in  Matthew  1 :  25,  and  Luke 
2:  7  most  naturally  imply  that  the  marriage  between  Joseph 
and  Mary  was  consummated  after  Christ's  birth;  and  the 
expression  'first-born  son/  by  the  analogy  of  the  other  cases 
in  the  New  Testament  (Romans  8:  29;  Colossians  1:  15,  18; 
Hebrews  11:28;  Revelation  1:5)  indicates  ithat  other  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mary.  The  subsequent  close  relation  in 
which  the  so-oalled  brothers  of  our  Lord  stand  to  Mary 
(Matthew  12:  47;  sqq;  13:  55;  Mark  6:3;  John  2:  12;  Acts 
1:  14)  likewise  strongly  favors  this  view.  The  word  brother 
(adelphost  in  the  Greek)  as  never  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment of  any  other  than  the  fraternal  relation;  and  the 
few  cases  adduced  from  the  Old  Testament  are  indefinite; 
and  special  terms  are  employed  for  kindred  (sug genes  in 
the  Greek)  and  cousin  (enepsios  Mark  6:4;  Luke  1:63, 
2:  44;  Colossians  4:  10).  To  these  arguments  must  be  added 
the  fact  tihat  James  the  brother  of  the  Lord  and  the  Lord's 
'brethren'  are  distinguished  from  the  apostles  (John  2:  12; 
Acts  1:13;  1  Corinthians  9:5).  In  John  7:5  it  is  stated 
that  in  contrast  to  the  disciples,  the  brethren  of  the  Lord 
had  not  believed;  and  in  Matthew  12:  46  Christ  institutes  a 
comparison  between  his  brethren  by  blood  and  by  moral 
affinity. 

"Paul's  expression  in  Galatians  1 :  19 — 'other  of  the  apos- 
tles saw  I  none  save  James  the  Lord's  brother' — refers  back 
to  Peter,  and  not  forward  to  James.  He  afterwards  (Gala- 
tians 2:9)  calls  James  a  'pillar'  of  the  church,  avoiding 
the  expression  'apostle/  but  in  1  Corinthians  15:7  he  is 
as  little  distinguished  from  'all  the  apostles'  as  Peter  is  from 
the  twelve  (1  Corinthians  15:5).  The  expression  Servant 
of  the  Lord  (James  1:1)  does  not  prove  anything  at  all 
against  the  view;  for  the  appellation  the  brother  of  the 
Lord,  which  was  given  to  him  by  others  as  a  mark  of  dis- 
tinction, would  have  been  out  of  place  in  his  own  mouth. 


APPENDIX  G.  457 

The  objection  that  the  names  of  the  four  brothers  of  the 
Lord  correspond  to  -the  names  of  four  of  the  apostles  ought 
to  be  of  little  weight  when  we  remember  that  Josephus 
mentions  no  less  than  twenty-one  different  persons  by  the 
name  of  Simon,  and  sixteen  by  the  name  of  Judas.  James 
was,  therefore,  the  full  brother  of  Jesus,  and  a  different 
person  from  the  two  apostles  of  that  name.  James  was  the 
representative  of  the  conservative  Jewish  party  at  the  council 
of  Jerusalem  (Acts  15)  and  stood  at  the  head  of  the  local 
church.  The  party  of  the  Ebionites  took  him  as  a  Nazarite, 
who  from  his  childhood  had  drunk  neither  wine  nor  strong 
drink,  had  never  been  anointed  with  oil,  never  bathed,  never 
worn  any  but  linen  garments,  and  whose  hair  had  never 
been  cut.  He  was  surnamed  the  Just,  and  represented  as 
having  prayed  constantly  at  the  temple  for  the  forgiveness 
of  his  people.  According  to  Hegesippus,  he  suffered  martyr- 
dom .in  69,  by  being  thrown  from  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple 
by  the  Pharisees;  but  according  to  Josephus  he  was  stoned 
to  death  by  the  Sadducees  in  62  or  63. 

The  latter  passage  as  of  doubtful  authenticity,  and  the 
former  statement  is  to  be  preferred. 

LIT. — Schaff:  D.  Verhaltniss  d.  Jakobus,  Bruders  d. 
Herrn  zu,  J.  Aiphaei,  Berlin,  1842;  NEANDER:  The  plant- 
ing of  the  Christian  Church;  [LIGHTFOOT:  Commentary 
on  the  Galatians,  Excursus  (pp.  247-283).  On  the  brethren 
of  the  Lord,  2d  Ed.,  London,  1866;  EADIE:  Commenta-ry  on 
Galatians,  Edinburgh,  1869,  pp:  sqq.,  and  the  Commentaries 
on  the  Acts,  and  Epistle  of  James].  SIEFERT. — Schaff-Herzog 
Encyclopedia  of  Religious  Knowledge,  vol.  2,  pp.  1139-1141. 
Published  in  1891. 

To  conclude.     The  reader  will  have  observed: 

1.  That  James  the  son  of  Alphaus  and  James  the  Lord's 
brother  were  two  distinct  persons. 

2.  That  James  was  a  brother  of  Jesus  and  not  a  cousin, 
as   claimed.     That   he  was   a   son   of   Mary  the  mother  of 
Jesus. 

3.  That  the  son  of  Alphaeus    belonged    to    the    apostolic 
guorum.     James  the  Lord's  brother  did  not. 


458  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

4.  James  the  Lord's  brother  was  made   president   of   the 
Jerusalem  church  after  the  ascension  of  the  Savior. 

5.  No  facts  either   in   sacred  or   secular  history  point  to 
Peter,  James,  and  John   as  a  presidency  of  the   church   at 
Jerusalem. 

6.  That  there  is  no  foundation  for  the  theory  invented  that 
the  brethren  of  the  Lord  were  not  his  brothers  according  to 
the  flesh,  but  cousins.  That  this  invention  was  put  in  vogue 
hundreds    of    years     after    Christ's     ascension,    to    support 
Roman  Catholic  views,  of  Mary  being  "ever  virgin,"  etc. 

7.  That   the  best   authorities   deny  the   contention   of   our 
opponents. 

8.  That  nothing  authoritative  is  had  as  statements  made 
by  Joseph    Smith,    on   the    disputed    questions.      If   he    said 
what    is    claimed    for    him,    no    reason    is    assigned    for    his 
opinion,  hence  it  is  worth  what  any  other  unsupported  opinion 
would  be  and  no  more. 

9.  In  .the  light  of  <tihe  facts  'herein  presented  the  conten- 
tion   of    our    opponents    is    not    supported,    and    James    the 
Lord's  brother,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  "beyond  question" 
was  after  the  ascension  of  our  Lord  constituted  the  president 
of  the  Jerusalem  church  and  acted  as  such,  and  not  Peter, 
James,  and  John,  as  claimed. 

LAMONI,  Iowa,  June  8,  1903. 


APPENDIX  H. 


lit  has  been  assumed  that  the  omission  ito  restate,  or  repro- 
duce, positions  (taken  originally  by  the  writer  upon  this 
question  is  -proof  that  they  are  abandoned,  and  that  there- 
fore Judie  and  Silas  were  dropped  out  by  the  force  and 
"magic"  of  the  wonderful  attack  upon  the  position.  This  is  a 
hard  blow  to  our  critic's  seer-ship  and  weakens  our  faith  in 
his  ability  to  read  the  handwritings  on  the  wall.  He  should 
have  learned  that  facts  keep  over,  whide  it  is  necessary  to 


APPENDIX  H.  459 

parade  fancy  and  error.  This  gives  us  an  opportunity,  how- 
ever, to  restate  our  positions  relative  to  Jude  and  Silas,  (see 
pages  70  and  71  of  Presidency  and  Priesthood,)  as  follows: 

"The  best  evidence  obtainable,  however,  points  to  the 
Apostle  Jude  as  being  one  that  was  associated  with  the 
president  of  the  church."  .  .  .  "As  ito  who  .the  other  assistant 
was,  it  is  yet  more  doubtful.  It  is  highly  probable,  however, 
that  it  was  Silas,  possibly  'Judas,  sumamed  Barsabas.'  " 

There  is  not  the  strong  and  well  supported  evidence  for 
Jude  and  Silas  bedng  counselors  that  there  is  for  James 
being  the  president,  and  it  was  so  admitted  in  Presidency 
and  Priesthood.  Witzh  these  names  given  and  others  sug- 
gested, the  matter  was  left  open  for  further  research.  The 
likelihood  of  Jude  having  been  one  of  the  counselors  lias 
better  support  than  in  the  case  of  Silas.  Jude  was  one  of 
the  brethren  of  Jesus,  as  we  believe,  hence  in  his  epistle  he 
identified  himself  before  the  church  as  being  "the  brother  of 
James,"  and  not  as  one  of  the  college  of  apostles.  It  would 
be  quite  natural  that  two  brothers  of  the  highly  favored 
family  should  be  selected  to  act  (together  at  the  head  ais  other 
brethren  or  kindred  of  the  same  family  were  selected  to 
succeed  James.  But  it  is  the  president-in-chief  that  is  -claim- 
ing our  attention  'in  particular  in  this  investigation.  Other 
positions  are  of  minor  importance  and  are  so  treated.  Never 
mind  the  side  issues. 

It  will  be  observed  that  our  critic  in  his  effort  has  not 
moved  a  single  position  taken  in  our  previous  article,  or  met 
the  overwhelming  force  of  evidence  adduced.  It  is  much 
easier  to  assume  the  role  of  a  Daniel  and  read  an  imaginary 
handwriting  on  the  wall,  than  to  marshal  reliable  evidence 
in  support  of  a  theory. 

The  criticism  is  unnecessarily  lame,  as  we  conceive,  wherein 
he  bases  an  argument  upon  the  proposition  that  there  is 
no  "clear  statement  of  either  position  in  the  New  Testament." 
Not  clear-cut,  but  circumstantial  evidence.  It  is  the  circum- 
stantial evidence  that  is  relied  upon  of  which  we  have  offered 
an  abundance  of  proof,  and  the  fact  that  James  actually 
presided,  received  reports  from  Peter,  and  when  they  are 


460  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

associated  in  the  writings  James  is  named  first  and  made  the 
most  prominent  by  the  Apostle  Paul. 

Right  here  I  will  "be  pleased"  to  furnish  our  'Criitic  a  little 
more  circumstantial,  yet  positive,  evidence  from  .the  New 
Testament  for  consideration,  the  like  of  which  in  point  of 
clearness  and  relevancy  the  will  never  be  able  (to  summon 
anything  in  favor  of  his  theory  to  equal  or  even  approach. 

After  the  crucifixion  the  apostles  were  in  charge  for  a  time 
and  there  was  no  presidency  in  the  sense  of  a  first  presidency. 
Our  opponent  contends  that  Peter,  James,  and  John  were 
first  presidents  then,  and  in  charge,  were  ordained  upon  the 
mount  long  ibefore  the  crucifixion,  etc.  In  the  light  of  (this 
assumption  the  following  will  be  interesting  reading:  W<hen 
Philip  had  preached  the  word  at  Samaria  and  -believers  were 
made  to  the  -cause,  it  is  written,  "Noiw  when  the  apostles 
which  were  at  Jerusalem  heard  that  Samaria  had  received 
the  word  of  God,  they  sent  unto  them  Peter  and  John."  Who 
is  this  sending  Peter  and  John,  two  of  our  critic's  "first 
presidency"?  Read  again,  the  apostles  "sent"  them;  but  our 
critic  in  Herald,  volume  51,  page  7,  again  says,  "Nowhere 
are  the  twelve  given  any  authority  to  direct  (the  presidency." 
Just  so.  Hence  Peter  and  John  were  not  presidents  when 
the  apostles  directed  them  to  go  to  Samaria.  This  is  true 
or,  according  to  the  theory  advanced  by  the  opposition,  we 
have  a  reversal  of  things  in  this  experience,  the  twelve 
sending  the  presidency.  So  the  writer  of  <the  Exegesis  is 
put  in  -direct  -conflict  with  himself.  Peter  and  John,  I  sup- 
pose, had  forgotten  all  abouit  their  ordination,  again,  as 
presidents  upon  the  mount,  and  that  they  held  presiding 
keys,  and  so  they  depended  upon  the  apostles  to  send  them 
to  Samaria.  Why  did  not  Peter  and  John  send  themselves 
if  they  were  at  the  head,  or  direct  in  some  manner?  The  case 
is  clear  /that  they  had  no  directing  authority  in  the  sense 
of  being  a  first  presidency,  and  depended  upon  the  other 
apostles  to  send  them,  so  they  went  as  the  apostles  directed 
them. 

This  is  in  harmony  with  the  .statement  in  Acts  2,  "And 
they  continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fel- 


APPENDIX  H.  461 

lowship,  and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers."  It  is  the 
"apostles'  doctrine"  and  the  "apostles"  that  "sent"  our  critic's 
presidency  to  Samaria;  yet,  the  writer  of  Exegesis  states 
that  he  will  "be  pleased  to  call  a»ttention  to  an  ample  supply 
of  Scriptural  evidence  that  Peter,  James,  and  John  consti- 
tuted the  presidency." 

Again,  "Then  the  twelve  called  the  multitude  of  the  disci- 
ples unto  them,  and  said,  It  is  not  reason  that  we  should 
leave  the  word  of  God,  and  serve  tables.  Wherefore,  breth- 
ren, look  ye  out  among  you  seven  men  of  honest  report, 
full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  wisdom,  whom  ye  may  appoint 
over  this  business." — Acts  6:2,  3.  Our  critic's  first  presu 
dency  had  not  become  conscious  of  their  high  position  of 
being  ordained  upon  the  mount  and  placed  at  the  head 
yet.  The  apostles  are  running  the  presidency,  according 
to  has  theory,  and  everything  else.  All  of  "this  shows  there 
is  nothing  in  the  criticism  made  on  the  advanced  theory  of 
Peter,  James,  and  John  having  received  an  ordination  aa 
presidents  upon  the  mount. 

But  the  author  of  Exegesis  still  argues  that  his  Millennial 
Star  quotation  must  be  received  and  honored  as  authority, 
notwithstanding  its  absurdity,  as  shown  in  a  previous  article. 
There  is  no  claim  for  this  report  that  it  was  influenced  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  being  ^brought  to  mind  like  the  things 
that  Jesus  taught  were  brought  to  the  minds  of  the  apostles, 
or  as  in  the  inspiration  of  angels  conversing  with  Joseph 
Smith  and  others.  It  was  simply  a  talk  and  report  after 
an  ordinary  fashion;  besides  being  printed  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Brighamites  and  made  /to  read  in  perfect  keeping  with 
their  views  of  church  organization  and  government,  it  is 
suspicious  to  begin  with.  It  has  4>een  shown  to  be  in  conflict 
with  facts,  no  matter  who  got  it  up,  hence  is  not  worthy  of 
credence. 

But  the  author  of  Exegesis  says:  "Bro.  Kelley  arrives 
at  the  conclusion  that  all  historical  matter  contained  in  their 
church  (Brighamite)  publications  is  unreliable  and  can  not 
be  accepted  as  authentic."  Bro.  Kelley  arrives  at  no  such 
conclusion.  There  is  a  wide  difference  between  some  and 


462  PRESIDENCY  AND  PRIESTHOOD. 

all.  There  would  be  no  object  in  any  one  changing  (history  in 
any  particular  except  it  was  that  part  that  would  need  -to  be 
changed  to  conform  to  their  peculiar  claims,  and  that  is  where 
this  text  from  the  Millennial  Star  is  made  to  do  duty.  New 
Testament  facts  and  history  are  all  against  its  being  true; 
but  it  is  in  harmony  with  the  -claims  made  by  -the  Utah  church, 
therefore  doubtful.  They  acknowledge  to  .having  revised  -the 
history,  under  the  inspection  of  President  Young,  who  knew 
above  all  others  -how  to  eliminate,  mold,  and  change  things  to 
support  his  pretensions.  Would  any  man  of  sense  suppose 
there  would  ibe  a  change  affected  'where  it  was  not  in  conflict 
with  their  pretensions? 

It  is  not  correct  either  that  our  historians  »have  inserted 
unquestioned  the  .historical  matters  as  they  appear  in  the 
Times  and  Seasons  and  Millennial  Star.  The  Reorganization 
opposed  that  iby  resolution.  We  are  sorry  that  the  writer  of 
Exegesis  has  been  so  careless,  in  view  of  his  coming  so  "widely 
before  the  public,"  just  now,  as  to  make  the  statements  .he 
has  concerning  this.  But  as  the  historians  themselves  have 
published  «an  article  covering  this  point,  it  is  not  necessary 
to  consume  further  space  with  it  ihere.  The  reader  is  referred 
to  their  statements,  Herald  for  January  20,  1904,  page  70, 
from  -which  the  following  extracts  are  taken:  "In  answer  to 
inquiry  as  to  tihe  extent  that  the  writers  and  compilers  of 
Church  History  -depended  upon  publications  issued  by  the 
church  in  Utah  for  historical  matter,  we  say  that  we  did  not, 
as  a  rule,  record  important  events  upon  such  authority 
alone.  Though  we  sometimes  quoted  from  .such  publications, 
it  wajs  not  until  the  events  related  were  verified  by  reference 
to  other  authority.  We  did  not  always  verify  all  the  details, 
but  became  satisfied  that  the  leading  events  'happened  as 
recorded.  We  tried  to  keep  hi  view  the  resolution  of  the 
General  Conference  of  1893  which  says,  'Resolved,  that  in 
our  judgment  much  of  the  church  history  contained  in  the 
Millennial  Star,  and  also  in  Times  and  Seasons,  is  of 
extremely  doubtful  character,  and  can  not  be  >safely  relied 
upon,  therefore  it  should  <not  be  employed  as  authority  in 
matters  affecting  the  .government  of  the  church.' — Conference 


APPENDIX  H.  463 

Minutes,  p.  72.  ...  Elder  Charles  W.  Wandell,  who  died  in 
Australia,  March  14,  1875,  while  commenting  upon  the  his- 
tory of  Joseph  Smith  as  published  in  the  Deseret  News  in 
1855,  makes  the  following  statement:  'I  notice  these  inter- 
polations because  having  been  employed  (myself)  in  the 
historian's  office  at  Nauvoo  by  Doctor  Richards,  and  em- 
ployed, too,  in  1845,  in  compiling  this  very  autobiography, 
I  know  that  after  Joseph's  death  his  memoir  was  "doctored" 
to  suit  the  new  order  of  things,  and  this,  -too,  by  the  direct 
order  of  Brigham  Young  to  Doctor  Richards  and  'systematic- 
ally by  Richards.' — Church  History,  vol.  4,  p.  97.  This  is 
admitted  by  the  Utah  church  in  .their  preface  to  volume  one 
of  their  church  history  published  in  1902,  pages  5  and  6." 

As  further  evidence,  the  following  is  in  point,  Times  and 
Seasons,  volume  5,  page  638.  At  a  special  meeting  held 
August  8,  1844,  over  which  Brigham  Young  presided,  the 
question  was  put:  "'All  in  favor  of  supporting  the  twelve 
in  their  calling,  (every  quorum,  man  and  woman,)  signify 
it  by  the  uplifted  hand';  and  the  vote  was  unanimous,  no 
hand  being  raised  in  the  negative." 

In  the  Millennial  Star,  volume  25;  215,  64,  an  account  of 
the  same  meeting  is  given,  as  follows:  "Do  the  church  want 
and  is  it  their  only  desire  to  sustain  the  twelve  as  the  First 
Presidency  of  the  church  and  at  the  head  of  this  kingdom 
in  all  the  world,  stand  next  to  Joseph  walk  up  in  their  call- 
ing and  hold  the  keys  of  this  kingdom,  every  man,  every 
woman,  every  quorum  is  now  put  in  order  .  .  .  manifest  it 
by  holding  up  the  right  hand.  (There  was  a  universal 
vote.)" 

Comment  is  unnecessary  here  to  show  that  history  is  made 
to  read  in  harmony  with  the  changed  sentiment  of  the  peo- 
ple. One  time  the  twelve  are  sustained  "in  their  calling"; 
at  another,  they  are  sustained  as  the  "First  Presidency." 
Change  wrought  to  support  the  views  of  the  Brighamite 
church  claims;  just  what  we  have  contended  was  done. 

In  referring  to  the  inconsistency  of  the  thought  that  a 
conference  or  high  council  was  called  upon  the  mount  of 
transfiguration  we  are  met  in  reply,  "May  I  not  ask  to  be 


464  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

informed  what  high  council  or  general  conference  authorized 
the  ordaining  of  James  the  Lord's  brother  to  the  presidency?" 
In  the  light  of  the  fact  upon  which  -all  agree,  that  we  have 
but  a  scrap  of  'the  history  of  those  times,  this  is  a  stunner. 
However,  as  nearly  as  can  be,  with  present  knowledge,  the 
desired  information  will  be  given.  In  order  to  do  so  one 
of  the  Exegesis'  witnesses  will  be  put  upon  the  stand  to 
testify — Doctor  William  Smith.  In  speaking  of  the  manner 
of  procedure  after  the  ordination  of  the  seven  (see  Acts  6), 
he  says,  "We  incline  to  the  'hypothesis  which  makes  the 
seven  the  originals  of  the  deacons.  From  this  time,  there- 
fore, or  from  about  this  time,  there  existed  in  the  church 

(1)  the  -apostles;    (2)   the  deacons  and  evangelists;    (3)   the 
multitude  of  the  faithful.     We  hear  of  no  church  officer  till 
the  year  44,  seven  years  after  the  appointment  of  the  deacons. 
We  find  that  there  were  then  in  the  church  of  Jerusalem  offi- 
cers named  presbyters   (XI  30)   who  were  the  assistants  of 
James,  the  chief  administrator  of  that  church  (XII  67).  The 
circumstance  of  their  first  appointment  is  not  recorded.     No 
doubt  tihey  were  similar  to  those  under  which  ,t»he  deacons 
were  appointed.     The  name  of  presbyter  or  elder  implies  that 
men  selected  were  of  mature  age.     By  the  year  44,  therefore, 
there  were  in  the  church  of  Jerusalem  (1)  the  apostles  holding 
the  government,  holding  the  whole  'body  in  their  own  hands; 

(2)  presbyters  invested  by  the  apostles  with   authority  for 
conducting  public  worship  in  each  congregation;   (3)  deacons 
or  evangelists  invested  with  the  lesser  power  of  preaching 
and  baptizing  believers  and  distributing  the  common  goods 
among  the  brethren.  ...  It  was  in  the  church  of  Jerusalem 
that  another  order  of  the  ministry  found  its  exemplar.  James, 
the  brother  of  the  Lord,  remained  unmolested  during  the  per- 
secution of  Herod  Agrippa  in  the  year  44,  and  from  this  time 
he  is  the  acknowledged  head  of  the  church  of  Jerusalem.     A 
consideration    of    Acts    12:17;    15:13,    19;    Galatians    2:2; 
9:  12;  Acts  21:  18,  will  remove  all  doubt  on  this  point.  What- 
ever   his    prominence    was,    he    appears    to    have    borne    no 
special  title,  but  it  is  impossible  to  read  the  epistles  addressed 
to  them  without  seeing  that  they  held  an  authority  superior 


APPENDIX  H.  465 

to  that  of  .the  ordinary  bishops  or  priests  (1  Timothy  3;  5:  17, 
19;  Titus  1:5,  7.)" — Bible  Dictionary,  under  'heading  of 
Church,  p.  99. 

The  <bime  and  'place  then  of  the  appointment  and  ordination 
of  James  and  elders  and  bishops  are  not  given,  but  that  they 
were  selected  and  ordained  is  proven  by  the  fact  -that  they 
held  offices  in  the  church.  In  Latter  Day  Saint  parlance, 
Timothy  and  Titus  would  have  been  called  -seventies,  most 
likely;  and  James,  the  president  of  the  church.  It  appears 
from  this  statement  of  Doctor  Smith,  that  James  the  Presi- 
dent (though  Doctor  Smith  gives  him  no  title, — others  call 
him  bishop) ,  together  with  elders  and  bishops,  were  ordained 
sometime  between  the  ordination  of  the  deacons  and  'the  year 
44,  no  history  giving  the  specific  occasion  or  details,  but  in 
reasonable  probability  the  action  was  orderly  and,  to  a  Latter 
Day  Saint*,  in  harmony  with  the  law  which  says,  "No  person 
is  ito  be  ordained  to  any  office  in  this  church,  where  there  is 
a  regularly  organized  ibranch  of  the  -same,  without  the  vote 
of  that  church!"  "Every  president  of  the  high  priesthood 
or  presiding  elder,  bishop,  high  counselor,  and  high  priest  is 
to  be  ordained  by  the  direction  of  a  ihigh  council  or  general 
conference." — Doctrine  and  Covenants,  p.  17,  pars.  16,  17. 

Again  the  criticism  is  made  in  Herald,  volume  51,  page  7, 
as  follows:  "Now,  dear  reader,  please  notice  the  fact  herein 
stated  by  Peter,  Janes,  and  John  to  Joseph  and  Oliver,  that 
they  (Peter,  James,  and  John)  possessed  the  keys  of  .the  king- 
dom and  not  the  keys  as  pertaining  to  <fche  -twelve,"  etc. 

This  statement,  -dear  reader,  is  not  correct,  as  you  may  see 
by  reading  the  paragraph  quoted.  The  (statement  is  not  made 
that  they  do  not  possess  the  keys  as  pertaining  <to  the  twelve. 
N3  such  -thought  is  expressed.  This  is  more  cider  in  the 
cotton.  The  language  to  Thomas  B.  Marsh  was,  "Thou  art 
the  man  whom  I. have  chosen  .to  hold  the  keys  of  my  kingdom 
abroad  among  all  nations."  We  'have  left  out  the  paren- 
thetical statement  "(as  pertaining  to  the  twelve)"  on  pur- 
pose that  our  oritic  may  see,  if  he  will,  that  the  keys  held 
by  the  twelve  are  /the  keys  of  the  kingdom,  and  refer  to 
the  ones  by  whioh  the  gospel  was  to  be  preached  to  the 


466  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

nations,  tihe  same  that  Jesus  conferred  upon  the  apostles 
together  with  .the  special  favor  extended  to  Peter,  James, 
and  John,  as  -the  following  proves,  and  'twere  is  no  first 
presidency  .hinted  at  even,  in  anything  or  *at  any  time 
when  lauthority  wais  <being  talked  of  or  was  bestowed  upon 
them.  Section  7,  Doctrine  and  Covenants :  "I  isay  unto  'thee, 
Peter,  this  was  a  good  desire,  but  my  beloved  has  -desired  'that 
he  might  do  more,  or  a  greater  work  yet  among  men,  'than 
wihat  he  has  before  done;  yea,  he  has  undertaken  a  greater 
work;  therefore  I  will  make  him  as  flaming  fire  and  a  min- 
istering angel ;  he  shall  minister  for  those  who  >shall  -be  .heirs 
of  salvation  who  dwell  on  the  earth;  and  I  -will  make  'thee  to 
minister  for  him  and  for  thy  brother  James;  and  unbo  you 
three  I  will  give  this  power  'and  the  keys  of  "this  ministry 
until  I  come."  The  work  of  Peter  and  John  differ.  Had  it 
been  a  -work  of  the  presidency  it  would  have  been  identical. 
This  conversation  took  place  at  the  -Sea  of  Tiberius,  the  third 
time  that  Jesus  ishowed  himself  to  his  disciples  after  his 
resurrection,  on  that  memorable  occasion  that  Jesus  said  unto 
Peter :  "Feed  my  sheep."  T/he  keys  of  the  kingdom  specially 
designed  for  Peter,  James,  <and  John  were  yet  to  be  given  to 
them,  not  to  be  a  presidency,  but  to  act  in  "this  ministry," 
given  to  those  who  were  to  be  iheralds  of  .salvation  or  chief 
ministers  and  apostles  abroad.  John's  special  desire  was  to 
do  a  greater  work  "yet  among  rmen,  than  he  ihad  before  done," 
but  along  the  same  lines.  The  power  and  keyis  of  "this 
ministry"  were  to  ;be  given  them  to  hold  as  men  and  angels 
Whose  duty  it  was  to  preach  the  gospel  to  all  Uhe  world  and 
minister  to  those  who  were  Jieirs  of  salvation.  It  would 
appear,  then,  that  the  especial  keys  of  the  kingdom  promised 
to  those  three  in  addition  to  what  they  already  held  were 
bestowed  after  Christ  manifested  himself  to  the  twelve  at 
the  Sea  of  Tiberius.  Nothing  strange  that  they  should  appear 
in  the  last  days  with  the  keys  of  the  dispensation  of  the 
fullness  of  times,  which  no  one  will  have  the  courage  to 
claim  -they  >held  at  that  time  in  Palestine.  This  will  enable 
our  opponents  to  figure  out  more  closely  the  time  (When  these 
especial  keys  were  bestowed.  The  question  is  not,  Did  the 


APPENDIX  H.  467 

apostles  receive  keys,  authority,  and  commission?  but,  Were 
Peter,  James,  and  John  constituted  a  first  presidency?  This 
latter  we  deny  and  think  the  facts  support  our  cladms. 

"The  Melohisedec  priesthood  holds  the  right  of  presidency, 
and  has  power  and  authority  over  all  the  offices  in  the 
church." — Doctrine  and  Covenants  104:3.  The  church  offi- 
cers appointed  to  hold  the  keys  of  «thds  presiding  priesthood 
were,  (1)  "a  patriarch,"  (2)  "a  presiding  elder  over  all  my 
church,  to  be  a  translator,  revelator,  a  seer,  and  prophet," 
(3)  'twelve  apostles,  "which  <twelve  hold  the  keys  to  open  up 
the  authority  of  my  kingdom  upon  the  four  corners  of  the 
earth,  and  #f  ter  that  to  send  my  -word  to  every  creature,"  etc. 
—Doctrine  and  Covenants  107 :  37-46. 

Then  follows  the  naming  of  the  several  officers  of  the 
-thood  down  to  that  of  deacon,  with  the  specific  statement : 
"The  above  offices  I  have  given  unto  you,  and  -the  keys 
thereof,  for  helps  and  for  governments,  for  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  and  the  perfecting  of  my  saints,  and  a  command- 
ment I  give  unto  you  that  you  should  fill  all  these  offices! 
and  approve  of  those  names  which  I  have  mentioned,  or  else 
disapprove  of  them,  at  <my  general  conference,  and  that  ye 
should  prepare  rooms  for  all  these  offices  in  my  house  when 
you  build  it  unto  my  name."  These  keys  are  recognized  as 
belonging  to  the  several  officers  of  the  priesthood  all  tlhe  way 
from  the  office  of  deacon  to  rthat  of  the  first  president,  =and 
the  keys  are  held  iby  the  ones  occupying  the  respective  offices 
in  the  priesthood;  so  we  read  in  the  address  to  the  elders: 
"Lift  up  your  hearts  and  rejoice,  for  unto  you  (the  kingdom, 
or  in  other  words  the  keys  of  the  church,  have  been  given." 
— Doctrine  and  Covenants  42:  18. 

"Again  I  say  unto  you  that  it  shall  not  be  given  <to  any 
one  to  go  forth  to  preach  my  gospel,  or  to  build  up  my  church, 
except  he  be  ordained  by  some  one  wiho  hath  -authority,  >and 
it  is  known  to  the  ohurdh  that  he  has  authority." — Ibid., 
par.  4. 

This  authority  and  keys  are  in  the  office  to  which  one  is 
assigned.  So  priesthood  and  keys  are  held  by  the  several 
ordained  officers  in  the  church.  What  of  /that  notion  then 


468  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

that    the    twelve    do   not   hold    the   keys   of   the    kingdom? 

This  twelve  has  been  shown  to  be  the  second  presidency  in 
this  presiding  priesthood,  holding  the  keys  of  the  kingdom 
to  carry  the  gospel  to  every  creature.  It  was  the  keys  of 
this  ministry  that  were  given  to  Peter,  James,  and  John  as 
shown  in  Doctrine  and  Covenants  6,  and  not  as  .a  located 
presidency.  There  was  no  second  presidency  in  the  church 
at  the  time  of  the  giving  of  ithe  revelation  of  Doctrine  and 
Covenants  80.  When  the  twelve  were  selected,  they  were 
authorized  with  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  as  the  "-second  presi- 
dency" or  twelve  apostles;  so  we  read,  "Rebel  not  against 
my  servant  Joseph,  far  verily  I  say  unto  you  I  am  with  him 
and  my  hand  shall  be  over  him,  and  the  keys  which  I  have 
given  unto  him  and  also  to  youward,"  etc.,  which  shows  that 
the  authorizing  of  the  twelve  was  through  the  Seer,  and  this 
twelve  were  to  go  abroad  among  all  nations  the  same  as  the 
twelve  of  which  Peter  was  a  member,  was  commissioned  to  go. 

In  reading  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants  it  will  be 
observed  that  the  Fi>rst  President  and  First  Presidency  are 
not  always  referred  to  by  the  same  terms.  They  are  desig- 
nated as  "the  presidency";  "the  presidency  of  the  high  priest- 
hood"; "quorum  of  the  presidency";  "the  presidency  of  the 
high  council  of  the  high  priesthood" ;  "president  of  the  office 
of  the  high  priesthood";  "presiding  elder  over  all  my 
church";  "three  presiding  high  priests";  etc. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  twelve  apostles:  They  are  desig- 
nated as  a  "traveling  high  council";  "twelve  traveling  coun- 
cil"; "the  twelve  traveling  counselors";  "twelve  apostles"; 
"/special  witnesses  of  the  name  of  Christ  in  all  the  world"; 
"the  second  presidency";  "quorum  of  the  twelve";  "quorum 
of  the  twelve,  my  servants";  "traveling  council  of  the 
twelve";  "the -twelve" ;  "the  quorum";  "council  of  the  twelve"; 
"the  council";  "the  traveling  high  council  composed  of  the 
twelve";  etc. 

The  several  officers  composing  these  'two  leading  quorums 
occupy  positions  in  the  presiding  high  priesthood  (see  sec- 
tion 104,  paragraphs  3  and  9),  hold  the  chief  authority  and 
keys  of  the  same,  so  we  read:  "Therefore  see  to  it  that  ye 


APPENDIX  H.  469 

trouble  not  yourselves  concerning  the  affairs  of  'my  church 
in  this  place,  saith  the  Lord;  but  purify  your  Hearts  before 
me,  and  then  go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  my  gospel 
unto  every  creature  who  has  not  received  it;  «and  he  that 
believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved,  and  he  that 
believeth  not,  ami  is  not  baptized,  shall  be  damned.  For 
unto  you  (-the  twelve)  and  those  (the  first  presidency),  who 
are  appointed  with  you,  to  be  your  counselors  and  your 
leaders,  is  the  power  of  this  priesthood  given,  for  the  last 
days  and  for  the  last  time,  in  the  which  is  -the  dispensation 
of  the  fullness  of  times,  which  power  you  hold  in  -connection 
with  all  those  who  have  received  a  dispensation  at  any  time 
from  the  beginning  of  the  creation;  for  verily  I  say  unto 
you,  The  keys  of  the  dispensation  which  ye  have  received, 
have  come  -down  from  -the  fathers;  and  last  of  all,  being 
sent  down  from  heaven  unto  you." — Section  105:  12. 

Again,  speaking  of  the  president  of  the  twelve:  "Thou 
art  the  man  whom  I  have  chosen  to  hold  the  keys  of  my 
kingdom  (as  pertaining  to  the  twelve)  abroad  among  all 
nations." — Paragraph  7.  "Which  twelve  hold  the  keys  to 
open  up  the  authority  of  my  kingdom  upon  .the  four  corners 
of  the  earth." — Section  107,  paragraph  40.  Notwithstand- 
ing this  plain  reading  we  are  gravely  told  that  the  twelve 
apostles  do  not  hold  the  keys  of  the  kingdom,  and  that  the 
president  of  the  quorum  holds  no  more  authority  'than  others, 
except  in  quorum  session.  Yet  this  president  was  to  hold 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom  "abroad  among  all  nations."  Was 
it  «to  be  done  in  quorum  session?  What  next? 

In  order  to  emphasize  the  relationship  of  the  two  leading 
quorums,  their  respective  callings,  authority,  and  keys,  etc., 
the  following  is  added: 

It  will  be  observed  that:  "The  power  and  authority  of  the 
higher,  or  Melchisedec  priesthood,  is  to  hold  the  keys  of  all 
the  spiritual  blessings  of  the  church ;  to  have  the  privilege  of 
receiving  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven";  etc. 
—Section  104,  paragraph  9.  Paragraph  31:  "Wherefore, 
it  must  needs  be  that  one  (be  appointed,  of  the  high  priest- 
hood, .  .  .  and  he  ahall  be  called  president  of  the  high  priest- 


470  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

hood  of  the  church,  or,  in  other  words,  -the  presiding  high 
priest  over  the  high  priesthood  of  the  -church,"  etc.  This 
leading  officer  is  'to  be  selected  from  among  those  -holding 
the  'high  priesthood.  "And  -again,  the  duty  of  the  president 
of  the  office  of  'the  high  priesthood  is  to  preside  over  the 
whole  church,  and  to  be  like  unto  Moses.  Behold,  here  is 
wisdom,  yea,  to  be  a  seer,  a  revdlator,  a  translator,  and  -a 
pirophet;  having  all  the  gifts  of  God  which  he  bestows  upon 
the  head  of  the  church." — Paragraph  42.  This  president  with 
his  two  assistants  or  counselors  constitute  "the  presidency 
of  the  council  of  the  high  priesthood"  (paragraph  35),  or 
fills  "the  office  of  the  .high  priesthood,"  and  of  course  holds 
all  the  keys  and  gifts  pertaining  to  that  office.  But  who  would 
conclude  from  this  that  these  men  hold  all  the  offices,  keys, 
and  gifts  of  the  high  priesthood?  By  reading  this  same 
section,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  various  offices  in  the  priest- 
hood are  mentioned  in  their  order,  concluding  with  paragraph 
44,  whidh  says:  "Wherefore,  now  let  every  man  learn  his 
duty,  and  to  act  in  the  office  in  which  he  is  appointed,  in  all 
diligence."  Among  the  presiding  officers  -mentioned  it  is 
said:  "The  twelve  are  a  traveling,  presiding  high  council, 
to  officiate  in  the  name  of  'the  Lord." — Paragraph  12.  "Being 
sent  out,  holding  the  keys  to  open  the  door  by  the  proclama- 
tion of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ." — Paragraph  13.  What 
are  the  keys  held  by  this  twelve?  "The  keys  to  open  up  the 
authority  of  my  kingdom  upon  the  four  corners  of  the  earth." 
— Section  107,  paragraph  40.  "Hold  the  keys  of  my  king- 
dom (as  pertaining  to  the  twelve)  abroad  among  the  natrons." 
— Section  105,  paragraph  7.  This  is  the  second  presidency 
of  the  presiding  priesthood.  Of  the  second  presidency  it  is 
said:  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature."  The  first  and  second  presidency  occupied 
offices  in  the  same  presiding  high  priesthood,  possessing  the 
keys  and  gifts  of  the  respective  offices  held.  The  first  presi- 
dency occupying  "the  office  of  the  hig»h  priesthood,"  are  at 
the  head — the  "presiding  elder,"  "over  all  my  church,"  at  a 
"•seat";  the  second,  "abroad."  Doctor  W.  Smith  has  very 
fittingly  expressed  the  relationship  of  these  two  quorums. 
He  says,  "Here  we  find  James  on  a  level  with  Peter  and 


APPENDIX  H.  471 

with  him  deciding  on  the  admission  of  Saint  Paul  into  fellow- 
ship with  the  church  at  Jerusalem;  and  from  henceforth  we 
always  find  him  equal  or  in  his  own  department  superior, 
to  the  very  chiefest  apostles,  Peter,  John,  and  Paul.  For  iby 
this  time  'he  had  been  appointed  to  preside  over  the  infant 
ohurch  in  fts  most  important  center." — Bible  Dictionary,  p. 
2371.  So  the  "three  presiding  high  priests,  cihosen  by  the 
body,  appointed  and  ordained  to  that  office,"  (section  104, 
paragraph  11,)  "constitute  a  quorum  and  first  presidency, 
to  receive  the  oracles  for  .the  ohurch"  (section  107,  paragraph 
39). 

"The  twelve  traveling  councilors  are  called  to  be  the 
twelve  apostles,  or  special  witnesses  of  the  name  of  Christ, 
in  all  the  world";  "And  they  form  a  quorum  equal  in 
authority  and  power  to  the  three  presidents  previously  men- 
tioned," etc. — Section  104,  paragraph  11.  These  two  quorums 
hold  equal  authority  and  power  in  the  church  by  reason  of 
the  positions  they  occupy  in  the  presiding  priesthood,  hence 
are  presidents,  holding  the  chief  authority  of  that  priest- 
hood at  home  and  abroad. 

The  keys  or  authority  to  preach  the  gospel  in  all  the  world 
was  committed  unto  Peter  and  his  associate  apostles;  the 
keys  of  "the  office  of  the  high  priesthood"  was  occupied  by 
a  "presiding  elder  over  all  my  ohurch";  and  with  his  two 
counselors  constituted  a  first  presidency. 

This  first  and  second  presidency  held  the  keys  of  the  king- 
dom in  chief  at  home  and  abroad.  The  one  at  a  "seat"; 
the  other  to  go  into  adl  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel.  So 
the  second  presidency  or  twelve  apostles  do  hold  the  keys  of 
the  kingdom,  as  -well  as  -the  First  Presidency,  who  occupy 
"the  office  of  the  ihigih  priesthood,"  with  its  still  higher  gifts 
of  office,  keys  and  prerogatives. 

The  authority  of  the  priesthood  is  transferable  as  well  as 
the  -gifts  of  office,  and  may  be  held  by  persons  on  earth  and 
in  heaven,  and  at  the  same  time,  or  be  exercised  by  more 
than  one  on  earth  at  a  time.  So  it  is  said  of  Judas,  "Hia 
bishopric  let  -another  take."— Acts  1:20;  of  David  Patten: 
"His  priesthood  no  man  taketh  from  him,  but  verily  I  say 


472  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

unto  you,  Another  may  be  appointed  unto  the  same  calling." 
Doctrine  and  Covenants  107 :  40.  Hyrum  Smith  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  "priesthood,  and  gifts  of  the  priesthood,  that 
once  were  put  upon  him  that  was  my  servant  Oliver 
Cowdery";  and  was  also  appointed  to  -be  "a  prophet,  and  a 
seer,  and  a  revelator  unto  my  church,  as  -well  as  my  servant 
Joseph."  (Ibid.,  107:29.)  Of  Joseph  it  is  said:  "The  keys 
of  this  kingdom  shall  never  be  taken  from  you,  while  thou  art 
'  in  the  world,  neither  in  the  world  to  come." — Ibid.,  87 :  2. 
The  keys  of  this  ministry  (proclaiming  the  gospel)  were 
given  to  Peter,  James,  and  John  until  the  coming  of  Christ. 
(Ibid.,  7:  2.)  The  church  was  established,  however,  and  men 
on  earth  iheld  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  for  the  work  to  be  done 
on  ear.th;  and  iby  the  same  authority,  rigihts,  and  keys,  the 
work  relating  to  the  redemption  of  man  is  going  on  in 
heaven.  Yet  we  are  asked  to  believe  that  the  First  Presi- 
dency alone  'holds  keys  of  the  kingdom  on  earth.  But  this 
view  of  the  matter  is  too  palpably  absurd  to  require  further 
notice  here.  It  will  be  time  enough  for  the  opponents  to 
extend  their  criticisms  when  they  are  able  to  point  out  from 
some  authentic  source  «tihat  Peter  ever  held  any  office  in 
the  church  except  that  of  one  of  the  twelve  apostles.  They 
have  not  yet  been  able  to  so  point  out,  and  it  is  safe  to  say 
they  never  will,  for  it  is  not  to  be  found.  When  the  Lord 
refers  to  Peter  he  speaks  of  him  as  "mine  apostle  of  old, 
Whose  name  was  Peter."  (Doctrine  and  Covenants  49:2.) 
The  Lord  most  likely  knew  what  office  Peter  held  in  the 
church. 

In  this  connection  the  following  from  the  pen  of  the 
Reverend  George  Waddington,  D.  p  1,  M.  A.,  Fellow  of 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  and  Prebendary  of  Ferring,  in 
the  Cathedral  Church  of  Chichester,  taken  from  his  History 
of  the  Church  from  the  Earliest  Ages  to  the  Reformations, 
should  be  read  with  interest  by  the  truth-seeker,  and  none 
will  even  suspicion  that  he  wrote  with  -the  least  taint  of 
Latter  Day  Saint  leaning  in  chronicling  his  views  on  church 
history.  He  says:  "The  -converts  of  Jerusalem  naturally 
formed  the  earliest  Christian  society,  and  for  a  short  time 


APPENDIX  H.  473 

probably  the  most  numerous."  Continuing  he  says:  "About 
the  year  69  A.  D.,  James,  surnamed  the  Just,  brother  of  the 
Savior,  who  was  <the  first  president,  or  bishop  of  the  church 
of  Jerusalem,  perished  by  a  violent  death;  and  when  its 
members  subsequently  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  electing 
his  successor  their  choice  fell  on  Simeon,  who  is  also  said 
to  have  been  a  kinsman  of  Jesus.  Shortly  after  the  death  of 
Saint  James,  an  insurrection  of  the  Jews  broke  out,  which  was 
followed  by  the  invasion  of  the  Roman  armies,  and  was  not 
finally  suppressed  until  the  year  70,  when  the  city  was  over- 
whelmed by  Titus  and  utterly  destroyed."  Again,  "during  the 
next  sixty  years  we  read  little  respecting  <the  church  of  Jeru- 
salem, excepting  the  names  of  fifteen  successive  presidents, 
called  'Bishops  of  -the  Circumcision,'  fourteen  of  'these  only 
belong  to  the  period  in  question,  since  the  destruction  of  the 
city  by  the  emperor  Adrain.  .  .  .  The  church  over  which  'they 
presided  seems  to  have  perished  with  them;  yet  it  would 
appear  from  scripture  that  some  sort  of  authority  was  at  first 
exercised  by  the  mother  church  over  the  Gentile  children;  and 
that  the  decrees  ordained  by  the  apostles  and  elders  which 
were  at  Jerusalem  found  obedience  even  among  distant  con- 
verts."— Chapter  1,  pages  29,  30.  Considering  that*  this 
learned  writer  was  a  Congregationalist  in  belief  renders  his 
statements  the  more  forceful,  as  he  was  partial  to  the  Con- 
gregational view  of  church  government. 

There  is  no  controversy  over  the  fact  that  there  was  a 
division  of  duties,  keys,  and  callings  in  regard  to  the  first 
and  second  presidency.  In  the  presiding  priesthood,  the 
authority  is  the  same.  The/re  is  a  distinguishing  difference 
in  the  offices  -held  and  the  duties  and  gifts  belonging  to  the 
ones  occupying.  Our  critic's  effort  on  this  was  all  wasted. 

On  page  8,  volume  51,  we  are  told:  "We  are  asked  to 
believe  that  Peter  answered  for  the  rest  of  the  apostles  in 
Matthew  16:  17."  Replying  to  this  we  cite  the  words  of 
our  critic's  witness  again.  Doctor  Smith  referring  to  the 
selection  and  naming  of  the  apostles  says:  "From  this  time 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Peter  held  the  first  place  among 
the  apostles,  to  whatever  cause  his  precedence  is  to  be 


474  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

attributed.  He  is  named  first  in  every  list  of  the  apostles,  he 
is  generally  addressed  by  our  Lord  as  their  representative, 
and  on  the  most  solemn  occasions  he  speaks  in  their  name." 

Peter  assumed  the  same  prominence  from  the  time  of 
his  choosing  that  he  did  after,  i.  e.,  was  in  the  lead  of  the 
twelve — spoke  for  them.  "Thus  when  the  first  great  seces- 
sion took  place  in  consequence  of  the  offense  given  by  our 
Lord's  mystic  discourse  at  Capernaum  (see  John  6:62-69), 
Jesus  said  unto  the  twelve,  Will  ye  also  go  away?  Then 
Simon  Peter  answered  him,  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  thou 
hast  the  words  of  eternal  life;  and  we  believe  and  are  sure 
that  thou  are  that  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God." 

"Thus  again  at  Caesarea  Philippi,  Saint  Peter,  speaking 
as  before  in  the  name  of  the  twelve,  though  as  appears  from 
our  Lord's  words  with  a  peculiar  distinctness  of  personal 
conviction,  repeated  that  declaration,  'Thou  art  the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  the  living  God/  .  .  .  The  early  church  regarded 
Saint  Peter  generally,  and  most  especially  on  this  occasion, 
as  the  representative  of  the  apostolic  body." 

Again,  Doctor  Smith,  in  speaking  of  the  Savior  with  the 
apostles,  John  21,  says,  "He  (Peter)  then  received  the  formal 
commission  to  feed  Christ's  sheep,  rather  as  one  who  had 
forfeited  his  place  (in  denying  his  Lord),  and  could  not 
resume  it  without  such  an  authorization." — Bible  Dictionary, 
under  the  heading  Peter,  pp.  427,  428. 

The  writer  of  the  Exegesis  seems  to  have  imbibed  the 
idea  that  because  Peter  took  the  lead  and  spoke  for  the 
twelve  that  he  did  all  of  their  thinking  and  concluding; 
that  whatever  was  his  view  the  rest  were  bound  to  agree 
to  it.  But  this  is  a  grave  error.  No  such  thought  is  held 
or  believed  by  any  writer.  No  trace  of  any  such  thing 
appears.  There  was  order.  Peter  was  in  touch  with  the 
other  members  of  the  quorum,  knew  their  views  and  con- 
victions, so  on  proper  occasions,  as  the  leader,  he  spoke  for 
them.  Each  apostle  retained  his  individuality,  agency,  and 
liberty  of  action. 

The  writer  of  the  Exegesis  goes  on,  as  if  there  were  some 
argument  in  it,  "It  is  evident  that  the  president  of  the 


APPENDIX  H.  475 

Quorum  of  the  Twelve  does  not  answer  for  his  brethren 
of  the  quorum  in  our  day.  For  instance  the  claim  that 
James  the  Lord's  brother  was  president  of  the  ancient  church, 
and  many  other  things.  Moreover  the  president  of  the  Quo- 
rum of  Apostles  has  no  unore  authority  or  keys  than  any 
other  member  of  the  Quorum  of  Twelve,  outside  of  quorum 
sessions,  etc." 

It  would  be  interesting  to  learn  how  our  critic  found 
out  all  of  this  wisdom.  Will  he  be  so  kind  as  to  tell  us 
who  it  is  from  and  by  what  process  it  is  done,  that  the 
president  of  the  quorum  receives  the  authority  and  keys 
when  the  quorum  meets,  and  to  whom  they  are  relinquished 
when  they  disband?  He  does  not  'seem  to  possess  them  out 
of  quorum  session  according  to  this  theory.  Where  are 
they  during  the  time  of  adjournment  from  one  session  to 
another?  It  may  be  that  the  president  leaves  the  authority 
and  keys  hanging  on  the  peg  where  his  hat  hung  during  the 
session  as  he  goes  out  at  dismissal.  This  volunteered  opin- 
ion we  think  is  likely  to  strike  people  with  amazement, 
coming  from  one  who  is  essaying  to  put  things  in  order. 

Tired  of  following  the  subject  matter  in  hand,  it  seems 
a  new  issue  is  raised  here,  i.  e.,  the  question  of  the  authority 
of  the  president  of  the  Twelve.  We  are  not  in  a  very 
advantageous  position  to  discuss  or  say  much  about  the 
rights  and  prerogatives  that  inure  to  the  office  of  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Twelve,  neither  does  the  question  properly 
belong  here,  hence  this  is  deferred  to  a  proper  time.  Iti 
might  turn  out,  after  all  the  returns  are  in,  however,  that 
the  office  of  president  of  the  Twelve  does  mean  something 
and  that  the  president  holds  some  authority  and  preroga- 
tives that  apply  outside  of  quorum  sessions,  as  well  as 
presidents  of  other  quorums  or  organized  bodies,  and  that 
hitherto  they  have  not  been  properly  recognized  or  anything 
said  about  them.  At  least  we  dissent  from  the  exposition 
of  our  critic.  The  writer  is  loath  to  conclude  that  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Twelve  is  merely  a  figurehead  from  the  closing 
of  one  session  to  another  of  the  quorum's  meetings  in  his 
relationship  to  the  quorum  and  the  church.  If  the  criticism 


476  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

be  true,  the  office  might  be  abolished  without  injury  to  the 
body. 

Again,  "Though  my  statement  may  be  absurd  wherein  I 
contend  that  it  was  James,  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  that  con- 
tinued on  down  after  the  death  of  James,  the  son  of  Zebedee, 
yet  I  have  failed  to  see  anything  presented  to  prove  it  to 
the  contrary."  But  since  our  critic  has  failed  to  see  what 
is  against  him  it  will  necessitate  a  restatement  of  a  few 
things.  The  learned  Doctor  Philip  Schaff  says,  "James  the 
son  of  Alphaeus — one  of  the  twelve  disciples  of  Jesus.  He 
is  so  designated  in  four  places, — Matthew  10:  3;  Mark  3:  18; 
Luke  6:15;  Acts  1 :  13.  No  other  passage  can  with  cer- 
tainty be  regarded  as  referring  to  him  or  his  family,  and 
nothing  further  is  known  definitely  of  his  life.  The  alleged 
blood  relationship  of  his  family  with  the  house  of  Jesus 
lacks  all  evidence."  Again,  "They  are  pure  assumptions." 
"James  the  Just,  the  brother  of  the  Lord,  the  head  of  the 
church  at  Jerusalem,  is  distinguished  from  the  two  apostles 
of  the  same  name."  "The  fraternal  relation  reported  to  have 
existed  between  James  and  Jesus  was  explained  as  the  rela- 
tion between  cousins.  But  Tertullian  is  a  witness  to  the 
fact  that  the  distinction  between  James  and  his  apostles 
was  still  held  in  his  day.  He  speaks  of  the  consummation 
of  Mary's  marriage  with  Joseph  after  the  birth  of  Jesus, 
and  of  the  brothers  of  Jesus  to  prove  the  reality  of  the 
incarnation  over  against  agnostic  objections.  At  a  some- 
what later  date  the  apostolic  constitutions  declared  for  the 
same  view."  That  the  fraternal  relation  is  vouched  for  by 
another  passage,  "I,  James,  a  brother  of  -the  Lord  according 
to  the  flesh."— Herald,  vol.  50,  pp.  1103,  1104.  But,  Doctor 
Schaff  says  the  first  to  declare  himself  distinctly  for  this 
identification  (that  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus  and  James  the 
Lord's  brother  was  the  same  person)  was  "Jerome."  Further, 
"James  was,  therefore,  the  full  brother  of  Jesus,  and  a 
different  person  from  the  two  apostles  of  that  name."  (Her- 
ald, vol.  50,  pp.  1103,  1104.)  The  argument  for  the  identifica- 
tion of  the  son  of  Alphaeus  with  the  brother  of  Jesus  is 
"beset  with  insuperable  difficulties."  (T.  K.  Cheyne,  M.  A., 


APPENDIX  H.  477 

D.  D.)  This  same  author  says,  "James  the  son  of  Alphasus. 
He  also  was  one  of  the  apostles,  and  is  mentioned  in  all 
four  of  the  lists  by  this  name  but  in  no  other  place." — Herald, 
vol.  50,  p.  1079.  "The  son  of  Alphaeus  is  only  named  in 
the  four  lists  of  apostles." — Britannica,  vol.  13,  p.  552. 
Does  our  critic  see  anything  to  the  contrary?  Better  reread! 

But  objections  are  Continued;  he  says:  "It  would  hardly 
be  supposed  that  those  who  had  been  preferred  by  our  Lord 
and  set  apart  by  him  to  preside  over  the  Melchisedec  order 
of  the  priesthood  and  to  have  care  of  spiritual  things  would 
contend  for  the  honors  of  being  the  bishop  whose  calling 
is  to  minister  in  temporal  affairs."  More  cider  in  the  cotton! 
The  very  points  at  issue  to  be  proven  are  here  assumed 
in  this  jingling  of  words  together.  It  would  "hardly  be 
supposed."  Of  course  not,  for  there  is  nothing  in  the 
assumption.  It  has  already  been  shown  that  the  most  learned 
confess  to  not  knowing  the  title  of  office  given  to  James 
in  his  day,  but  in  after  years  it  was  the'  custom  to  call  the 
highest  officer  in  -the  church,  "bishop";  so  historians  adopted 
it  and  applied  this  title  to  James,  by  reading  back;  later 
writers  use  the  term  "president"  to  designate  his  office, 
as  will  be  seen.  Further,  it  is  also  admitted  that  it  is  not 
known  from  historical  evidence  the  distinguishing  titles  of 
offices  given  to  Timothy  and  Titus  or  when  ordained;  or 
when  and  the  circumstances  when  presbyters  were  ordained. 
This  is  sufficient  reference  to  the  jugglery  of  words  about 
James  being  one  of  the  presidency,  counselor  to  Peter,  bishop, 
and  Bro.  Kelley  looking  for  something  to  make  this  same 
person  "patriarch."  It  is  so  interesting,  hence  our  notice 
of  it  at  all. 

But  he  goes  on:  "We  are  surprised  that  Bro.  Kelley  did 
not  quote  the  foot-note  on  page  36  of  Eusebius'  History." 
There  need  be  no  "surprise"  about  that.  Eusebius  did  not 
write  it.  It  is  simply  a  foot-note  put  in  by  somebody  else, 
most  likely  to  make  a  showing  that  Eusebius  sustains 
Jerome's  views.  It  is  found  in  the  edition  of  the  Reverend 
C.  F.  Cruse,  A.  M.,  with  notes  selected  from  the  edition 
of  Valesius  as  a  foot-note.  It  is  not  in  the  edition  by  Isaac 


478  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

Boyle,  D.  D.,  printed  in  1869.  This  ought  to  cause  all 
"surprise"  to  subside.  The  foot-note  is  an  interloper. 

Page  9,  "Again  the  claim  is  made  that  James  was  con- 
verted and  made  president  of  the  church  immediately  after 
the  ascension  of  Christ.  In  three  days."  Who  makes  this 
claim?  It*  is  another  man  of  straw,  seemingly  set  up  for 
diversion,  and  the  writer  goes  on  again  referring  to  the 
visit  to  the  house  of  Cornelius,  which  was  exploded  in  our 
last  article,  in  which  it  was  shown  -that  there  was  no  need 
of  a  first  president  to  do  the  work  that  Peter  did  at  the 
house  of  Cornelius,  as  it  was  in  line  with  Peter's  calling 
and  commission  as  an  apostle  to  do  that  work.  So  there 
is  nothing  "conclusive"  in  that  the  Lord  recognized  Peter 
as  at  the  head  of  the  church  any  more  than  it  is  "conclusive" 
that  Philip  or  Ananias,  who  were  directed  similarly  in  their 
work,  were  presidents.  There  is  nothing  singular  about  the 
transaction  even  if  James  was  then  the  active  president  of 
the  church.  Peter  did  just  what  any  apostle  has  a  right 
to  do,  that  is,  obeyed  the  voice  of  God  when  in  discharge 
of  his  ministerial  work.  It  is  not  expected  that  any  minister 
will  be  dictated  to  by  the  First  Presidency  or  any  one  else 
in  all  that  he  does.  The  minister  is  free  to  obey  God  at  all 
times. 

Again  if  the  president  of  the  Twelve  were  sent  to  Jeru- 
salem to  preach  to  the  Gentiles,  and  when  he  arrived  there 
God  should  command  him  to  preach  to  the  Jews,  he  would 
not  stop  to  liear  what  the  First  Presidency  says  about  it, 
but  would  go  right  on  obeying  God,  and  as  Peter  did,  take 
his  chances  before  the  church  when  called  in  question.  The 
Presidency  would  not  immediately  recall  him  either.  The 
advice  and  direction  of  the  Presidency  is  not  intended  to 
supplant  the  individual  freedom  of  a  person  to  be  guided 
by  God's  wisdom  in  his  ministerial  work.  The  imputation 
that  it  does  smacks  of  rank  heresy.  How  does  the  writer 
know  that  when  the  time  comes  to  preach  to  the  Jews  a 
revelation  to  that  effect  must  needs  come  through  the  First 
President?  The  preaching  of  the  gospel  was  extended  to 
the  Gentiles  through  the  ministration  of  an  apostle  at  Jeru- 


APPENDIX  H.  479 

salem,  and  this  was  right  and  proper,  no  matter  if  the 
country  were  full  of  first  presidents.  What  occurred  once 
may  occur  again.  An  apostle  is  a  servant  of  God  and  has 
a  right  to  obey  his  voice  in  his  ministerial  work,  independent 
of  any  direction  of  the  First  Presidency.  Hence  there  is 
nothing  "evident"  in  the  plea  on  page  10,  of  Herald,  January 
6,  1904. 

In  Herald,  volume  51,  page  29,  we  are  referred  again  to 
the  "brethren"  question,  which  was  exploded  in  a  previous 
article,  and  Gressler,  Lardner,  and  the  Emphatic  Diaglott 
are  cited  again  in  evidence  in  an  effort  to  prove  that  "breth- 
ren" in  the  Bible  means  cousins.  But  if  the  reader  will  turn 
and  read  the  references  relied  upon  to  support  this  view  of 
Jerome  the  weakness  of  the  texts  will  appear  at  once  and 
there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  deciding  where  the  truth  lies. 
Read  Genesis  26,  also  29:  15.  Doctor  Schaff  says  the  word 
brethren  (adolphus,  in  the  Greek)  is  never  used  in  the  New 
Testament  of  any  other  than  the  fraternal  relation;  and  the 
few  cases  adduced  from  the  Old  Testament  are  indefinite, 
and  special  terms  are  employed  for  kindred  and  cousin." 
— Herald,  vol.  50,  p.  1104.  On  the  same  page  it  is  objected 
that  Jerome  was  the  first  writer  that  gave  prominence  to 
the  notion  that  the  "brethren  of  the  Lord"  were  but  cousins. 
Doctor  Schaff  says,  "But  the  first  to  declare  himself  dis- 
tinctly for  the  identification  was  Jerome,  who  wrote  a  work 
against  Helvidius  advocating  Mary's  perpetual  virginity." 
Our  critic  against  the  Doctor.  » 

Again,  our  critic  has  great  worry  because  Jesus  com- 
mitted his  mother  to  John's  care.  But  Jesus  calls  John  her 
son  and  Mary  his  mother.  So  there  is  no  use  fretting  over 
this.  It  is  only  a  question  as  to  whether  the  higher  spiritual 
union  in  the  gospel  is  not  stronger  and  more  worthy  of  trust 
than  the  earthly,  even  though  it  was  important  that  she  be 
committed  to  the  care  of  a  natural  son.  At  the  time,  her 
children  were  unbelievers.  Jesus  said,  "For  whosoever  shall 
do  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is 
my  brother,  and  sister,  and  mother." — Matthew  12:50.  In 
this  high  ethical  and  spiritual  sense  Jesus  committed  his 


480  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

mother  to  the  care  of  Jesus'  brother,  and  of  course  the  son 
of  Mary. 

But  we  are  further  criticised  as  follows:  "The  'reason 
assigned  by  the  opposition  is  that  her  sons  were  unbelievers 
at  the  time  in  question,  and  in  the  next  breath  we  are  told 
that  he  was  converted  and  made  president  of  the  churdh 
immediately  after  the  resurrection,  the  long  space  of  three 
days,"  etc.  How  magical!  But  stop  a  moment!  Who  was 
it  said  the  reason  that  Jesus  committed  his  mother  to  John 
was  that  his  brethren  were  unbelievers?  Who  was  it  said 
that  James  was  converted  and  made  president  immediately 
after  the  crucifixion — in  three  days?  It  would  be  very  inter- 
esting to  know. 

Again,  "If  Christ  failed  to  appoint  his  successor  previous 
to  his  crucifixion,  the  church  on  earth  was  without  any 
visible  head  for  several  days."  Well,  that  is  about  the 
history  of  it,  unless  Mary  was  at  the  head;  or  the  apostles, 
— and  they  went  fishing.  Who  rallied  them?  Was  it  not  the 
stranger  who  journeyed  to  Emmaus,  the  true  head,  upon  his 
return?  The  apostles  were  next  in  charge,  it  seems,  so  when 
tidings  caime  that  Samaria  had  received  the  word,  "the 
apostles"  sent  two  of  their  number,  "Peter  and  John" — two 
of  the  assumed  first  presidency  of  our  critic — "to  Samaria, 
to  aid  the  work  there."  But  when  the  persecution  arose 
about  Stephen  and  the  disciples  were  scattered  abroad,  the 
gospel  was  received  at  Antioch.  "Then  tidings  of  these 
things  carrtte  unto  the  ears  of  the  choirch  which  was  in  Jerusa- 
lem: and  they  sent  forth  Barnabas,  that  he  should  go  as 
far  as  Antioch." — Acts  11 :  22.  It  appears  that  the  church 
at  Jerusalem  was  then  in  a  comparatively  organized  con- 
dition and  some  one  in  charge,  hence  the  sending  of  the 
missionary  Barnabas  to  Antioch  without  his  being  directed 
by  the  apostles.  It  does  appear  that  James  was  then  in' 
authority.  In  the  next  chapter  is  recorded  the  statement  of 
Peter,  "Go  show  these  things  unto  James  and  to  the 
brethren."  So  we  find  James  fully  in  power  and  with  the 
church  caring  for  the  churches  abroad.  Jesus  was  crucified 
33  A.  D.  This  would  give  between  seven  and  ten  years  for 


APPENDIX  H.  481 

the  conversion  and  appointment  of  James  and  a  complete 
organization  of  the  church  with  a  president,  and  not  "imme- 
diately after  the  crucifixion, — two  or  three  days,"  and  as  it 
is  admitted  by  all  that  Christ  appeared  to  James  he  could 
easily  have  appointed  him  his  successor.  Christ  met  with 
the  disciples  often.  Was  seen  by  above  five  hundred  .at 
once.  No  trouble  here.  We  do  not  "concede"  either  that 
Jude  was  one  of  the  college  of  apostles.  It  will  help  our 
critic  to  reread  Doctor  SchafT s  article  if  he  is  looking  for 
light.  Presidency  and  Priesthood  holds  a  different  view. 

.  T.  K.  Cheyne,  M.  A.,  D.  D.,  once  Professor  of  Holy 
Scriptures,  Oxford,  "is  all  right."  Some  men  are  sufficiently 
large,  capable,  and  free  from  bias  as  not  to  follow  the  beaten 
track  of  others,  but  declare  for  facts  in  any  event.  T.  K. 
Cheyne  seems  to  be  of  that  make-up.  Then  if  his  sympathy 
is  with  Rome  and  Oxford  traditions,  he  is  all  the  better, 
witness  for  us.  When  a  man  is  compelled  to  testify  perforce 
of  facts  against  commonly  received  opinions  in  order  to  be 
right,  he  is  a  good  witness. 

Now  our  critic  states,  however,  that  "Eminent  writers 
differ  widely  and  we  can  not  depend  on  what  they  write  but 
must  look  to  the  Scriptures  for  authentic  support  of  our 
ideas."  Just  so.  Some  time  ago  the  claim  was  made  that 
all  the  best  authorities  were  on  his  side  of  the  question. 
Why  this  change?  But  he  will  find  it  more  difficult  to  get 
a  clear  statement  from  the  Scriptures  in  favor  of  his  position 
than  from  the  best  historians  as  he  holds  out  a  prominent 
historian  that  arose  in  the  fourth  century  who  was  the 
cause  of  misleading  writers  and  darkening  counsel  ever  since, 
to  fall  back  on.  But  we  can  get  light  if  we  will  read  exten- 
sively enough.  Our  critic  apologizes  by  saying  he  used  a 
considerable  amount  of  historical  matter  simply  to  show  that 
our  most  "eminent  writers  differ  widely  and  can  not  be 
depended  upon."  We  knew  that  before;  this  is  an  age  of 
inquiry. 

Again,  "The  effort  to  refute  my  position  on  lineage  is 
far-fetched."  What  difference  does  it  make  just  so  it  is 
"fetched"?  Yes,  our  critic  insisted  strongly  that  the  lineage 


482  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

was  from  father  to  son.  T'his  was  not  denied,  however,  but 
there  are  exceptions  to  this  general  rule,  which  we  have 
shown.  This  is  the  clue  that  spoiled  the  objection  of  our 
critic. 

The  old  argument  about  woman's  seed  should  bruise  the 
serpent's  head  is  again  introduced  in  the  criticism.  But 
who  is  it  that  can  not  see  that  if  Jesus,  being  begotten  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  was  recognized  as  lineal  heir  of  the  seed  of 
David  and  was  counted  through  Joseph,  that  a  son  of  Mary, 
the  father  of  whom  was  Joseph,  would  be  counted  in  the 
same  lineal  line?  If  the  real  efficacy  in  one  case  comes  by 
reason  of  the  mother,  why  not  the  same  efficacy  obtain  in 
the  natural  born?  The  evidence  we  adduced  was  from  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  and  anything  from  that  book  to  a  Latter 
Day  Saint  ought  not  to  be  considered  very  "far-fetched"; 
and  it  was  not  "a  hard  nut  to  crack."  However,  there  is 
not  sufficient  revealed  on  all  questions  to  present  them  with 
desired  ampleness  of  historical  certainty  that  is  all  satis- 
factory. What  is  revealed  belongs  to  us  and  our  children, — • 
the  rest  to  God.  Wrong  theories  lead  into  difficulty.  Hence 
our  critic  seems  to  be  in  a  maze  of  difficulty  in  following  his 
theory. 

But  the  criticism  proceeds:  "There  is  nowhere  to  be 
found  a  promise  that  this  right  might  descend  from  mother 
to  son."  It  is  equally  true  that  it  is  nowhere  written  that 
it  could  not  so  descend,  and  it  is  also  true  that  Jesus  was  of 
the  lineage  of  David  and  yet  there  was  no  blood  of  David 
in  him  but  that  received  from  his  mother.  If  this  mother's 
blood  gave  Jesus  the  lineal  right  through  the  seed  of  David 
manifest  in  his  mother,  why  not  the  lineal  right  be  recog- 
nized in  the  line  of  David  through  the  same  man  and  the 
mother  of  Jesus  to  James?  Sure  enough! 

This  is  followed  by  a  reincarnation  of  the  old  argument 
exploded  that  Peter  was  always  "first,"  etc.,  which  does  not 
need  further  notice  for  there  is  nothing  in  it  pointing  to 
a  presidency  except  that  Peter  was  a  leader  of  the  twelve — 
one  of  the  most  active  of  the  apostles,  a  man  of  affairs — 
relied  upon  before  and  after  his  call  to  the  apostleship. 


APPENDIX   II.  483 

But  we  are  informed^  "He  will  find  it  to  be  quite  a  task 
to  get  the  people  to  believe  that  the  terms  quorum  and  king- 
dom are  synonymous."  No,  we  would  not  have  them  believe 
that  way.  No  one  holds  to  that  belief  that  we  know  of. 
We  do  not  on  this  side  of  the  question.  Do  not  have  to 
believe  it 

Then  follows  a  revamping  of  the  assertion  that  Peter  was 
the  president  of  the  conference  held  in  Jerusalem,  recorded 
in  Acts  15.  It  is  sufficient  comment  on  this  to  say  that  we 
know  of  no  author  who  supports  the  position.  All  agree 
that  James  was  president  of  that  assembly.  In  Latter  Day 
Saint  belief  the  highest  in  authority  presides  always.  We 
are  sorry  that  our  friend  persists  in  arraying  himself  against 
all  historical  evidences  that  are  at  hand  upon  this  question 
which  we  have  seen,  no  matter  which  side  of  the  main 
question  they  were  on. 

Our  critic's  "summary"  is  too  funny  to  extend  this  article 
further  in  examining.  Those  who  have  not,  should  read  it. 
We  are  loath  to  express  an  opinion.  The  reference  given 
about  what  Hegissippus  says  about  what  Hegesseppus  said 
we  have  not  been  able  to  find,  so  can  not  pass  upon  it  in 
its  true  light.  At  best  it  would  be  but  a  statement  of  what 
one  writer  says  another  wrote  at  an  early  day  which  has 
no  confirmation.  It  might  properly  be  questioned,  however, 
by  us,  for  the  spirit  of  apostasy  and  the  introduction  of 
false  views  began  at  an  early  day  in  the  church,  so  that 
after  the  deaths  of  the  apostles  and  first  witnesses,  there 
was  talk  and  conjuring  of  things  to  fix  up  the  growing  apos- 
tate belief  to  keep  Mary  "ever  virgin";  and  the  "brethnen 
of  Jesus"  standing  in  the  way,  there  would  be  speculation 
and  theories  invented  and  talked  of  to  get  them  out  of  the 
way.  This  would  be  natural.  But  as  shown  in  this  article, 
Jerome  was  the  man  that  introduced  distinctly  this  theory 
into  history  which  has  been  followed  largely  since,  until  of 
recent  years  the  learned  are  exploding  the  old  misleading 
fancy  along  with  other  errors  that  crept  up  under  Roman 
Catholic  formation  and  rule,  and  the  truth  about  the  frater- 
nal relations  of  Joseph  and  Mary  are  brought  to  light. 


484  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

It  will  be  observed  that  a  president  has  been  maintained 
for  the  ancient  Jerusalem  church;  and  that  this  was  James 
the  Lord's  brother.  That  his  seat  was  at  Jerusalem,  and 
that  he  presided  over  the  church  at  home  and  abroad.  Tha1> 
he  did  not  belong  to  the  college  of  apostles.  That  he 
had  two  assistants  or  counselors,  who  may  have  been  Jude 
and  Silas,  though  this  is  not*  conclusive.  That  the  Roman 
Catholic  claim  and  tradition  that  the  "brethren"  of  Jesus, 
Matthew  13:  55,  means  that  they  were  his  cousins,  is  a  fake. 
That  the  right  of  -the  presidency  in  the  priesthood  and 
succession  belonged  to  the  house  of  Joseph  and  not  to  the 
house  of  Zebedee;  that  Peter  never  was^  the  president  of  the 
church,  nor  a  pope;  that  this  claim  for  Peter  is  another 
fake:  a  false  position  whether  held  to  by  Latter  Day  Saints, 
Roman  Catholics,  or  protestants.  That  after  the  crucifixion 
and  ascension  of  the  Lord,  the  twelve  apostles  were  in  com- 
plete charge  for  a  time,  and  then  there  were  called  into  office, 
deacons,  elders,  bishops,  and  a  presidency  -within  the  space 
of  about  seven  or  ten  years.  Each  occupied  specific  places 
in  the  organizations  assigned;  the  president  and  apostles 
acting  together  and  supervising  the  work  at  ihome  <anid 
abroad.  That  the  twelve  apostles  lived  and  died  occupying 
the  identical  office  to  which  Jesus  called  and  assigned  them, 
and  that  in  the  millennium,  or  when  his  kingdom  shall  rule 
o/n  earth,  they  will  hold  these  separate  and  distinct  offices 
as  his  prime  ministers,  and  "set  on  thrones."  That  Peter, 
James,  and  John  were  'made  special  witnesses  and  leaders 
because  of  a  peculiar  personal  fitness  belonging  to  them, 
which  was  recognized  by  the  Savior  on  their  first  acquaint- 
ance; but  that  they  never  were  constituted  a  presidency  of 
of  the  church  either  as  men  or  angels.  Peter  was  a  leader 
by  nature  and  had  charge  of  men  and  a  business  when  Jesus 
first  met  him.  John  was  dearly  beloved  because  of  natural 
endowments  belonging  to  him,  and  James  was  a  strong, 
devoted  character  upon  whom  the  people  relied,  hence,  were 
made  the  chief  witnesses  for  Christ. 

While  writing  Presidency  and  Priesthood,  it  was  not 
designed  to  use  text-books  in  support  of  the  positions  assumed 


APPENDIX  H.  485 

other  than  the  Bible  and  secular  history;  but  the  criticisms 
advanced  have  been  based  chiefly  on  Latter  Day  Saint  say- 
ings and  revealments,  so  it  became  necessary  to  refer  to 
these  in  making  this  reply,  and  also  necessitates  an  enlarge- 
ment of  the  volume. 

This  article  or  reply  has  been  in  readiness  for  over 
twelve  months,  but  was  held  up,  it  would  seem,  on  the 
ground  that  it  was  producing  controversy  and  inquiry,  caus- 
ing people  to  think,  a  false  sentiment  having  crept  in  which 
is  at  variance  with  the  spirit  and  genius  of  the  Reorganized 
Church  from  its  inception,  and  of  the  ancient  Jerusalem 
church,  that  it  is  wrong  to  examine  into  and  discuss  a  matter 
of  religious  belief  in  order  to  arrive  at  an  intelligent  con- 
clusion in  regard  to  it.  In  the  midst  of  research  and  com- 
parison of  views — search  for  light,  some  one  cries  out^ 
"There  is  contention — a  lack  of  unity,  it  weakens  the  faith 
of  members,"  etc.  So  the  doors  of  free  inquiry  and  discus- 
sion are  closed,  and  ignorance  is  enthroned  as  the  mother 
of  unity  and  devotion,  while  the  best  means  known  to 
human  experience  to  arrive  at  a  desired  unity,  that  of 
inquiry  and  discussion,  is  ruled  out.  It  would  be  highly 
interesting,  however,  to  see  a  body  of  people  come  to  a 
unity  concerning  some  important  matter  of  which  they  were 
wholly  ignorant  and  refused  to  inform  themselves, — just 
standing  around  with  their  hands  in  their  pockets  waiting 
for  unity,  or  the  dictation  of  some  accepted  boss,  and  finding 
fault  with  people  who  are  delving  into  the  facts  and  bring- 
ing them  to  light. 

Salt  Lake  furnishes  a  splendid  ideal  of  a  unity  reached 
in  this  "down  with  controversy"  way.  Russia  is  another 
example.  There  is  a  wide  difference  between  discussion  and 
a  proper  inquiry  into  a  matter  in  order  to  ascertain  the 
truth  of  it,  and  wrangling  contentions. 

Unless  our  critics  can  bring  something  new  and  much  more 
in  point  and  potency  in  the  way  of  evidence  and  argument 
than  anything  yet  seen  from  that  side,  this  will  conclude 
our  articles  on  the  question.  We  have  no  disposition  to 
bicker  over  words  and  phrases  to  no  purpose  or  strive  for 


486  PRESIDENCY  AND   PRIESTHOOD. 

mere  mastery.  All  readers  among  Latter  Day  Saints  should 
be  benefited  by  this  investigation.  The  doctrine,  "Prove  all 
things,  hold  fast  that  which  is  good,"  applies  to  this  as 
well  as  other  questions.  When  Latter  Day  Saints  are  asked 
to  assign  a  reason  for  their  belief,  if  they  are  not  conversant 
with  the  reasons  they  can  not  assign  them,  but  will  have  to 
remain  .mute  when  interrogated.  Both  sides  in  this  inquiry 
believe  in  a  president,  but  the  question  is,  Who  was  he? 

Personally,  with  the  writer  it  is  no  matter  who  he  was, 
but  from  the  evidence  in  sight,  James,  the  brother  of  Jesus, 
stands,  "beyond  question,"  the  president.  Do  not  get  a 
wrong  idea  of  what  is  meant  by  the  phrase  "beyond  question." 
In  a  sense  anything  can  be  questioned.  We  have  heard  it 
questioned  that  there  ever  lived  such  a  '.man  as  Shakespeare, 
of  the  existence  of  the  souls  of  men;  of  hell;  of  God;  of 
heaven;  and  of  the  Devil.  What  we  mean  is,  that  the  evi- 
dence in  the  Bible  and  history  strongly  preponderates  in 
making  it  reasonably  certain  that  James  was  the  president 
of  the  Jerusalem  ohurch.  There  is  nothing  for  Peter; — not 
a  line.  If  the  author  of  the  "Exegesis"  will  furnish  a  single 
text  of  clear  statement  from  the  New  Testament  or  reliable 
history  that  Peter  was  ever  appointed  to  be,  or  acted  as 
the  president  of  the  church,  the  writer  of  this  will  take 
pleasure  in  seeing  that  he  is  amply  rewarded  for  his  new 
discovery. 

This  reply  will  be  added  to  -tihe  answers  of  the  other  criti- 
cisms made  and  put  in  pamphlet  form,  so  that  those  who 
wish  can  examine  and  compare  at  their  leisure;  and  it  will 
also  appear  in  the  future  editions  of  Presidency  and  Priest- 
hood. WM.  H.  KELLEY. 

LAMONI,  Iowa,  June  20,  1905. 


INDEX. 


Antiquity  of  tin-  priesthood 3 

Antiquity  of  the<;<»>pi-l .7,10 

.\hr:ili:mi  ami  Melehi>rdee J4 

ic  priesthood  held  by  John  the  Baptist  ...  15 

Ant'npiity  «>f  hi.nh  priests 22 

Authorization  of  mini>tr\ 23,25,43 

•  uie  pri«-Mhn.»d  ehaiiLreaMe ;;2 

Apostles  appoint  seven  to  serve  tallies ;;? 

\poMh-s  and  prophet-,  coutimiatioii  of  .  .  .  .47,295 

!es  onlaiueil  .lames yl 

Apostasy  of  the  church 87,294 

Ainu-lit  churches  compared  with  modern  ones  .  .  .  97,98 

Anabaptists 144,  149,  150 

;v,  Bishop 103 

Anthon,  1'rof 293 

Arehhi.xhopg 296 

Apnstl.-x1  Creed 303 

Alexander.  1'opf,  cro\vne«l  head 325 

Apj««-a-i-  the  Ih-ity  hy  whipping  themselves  ....  325 

An --uraiit  rlaiin-  of  papal  church 320 

All  human  power  is  from  evil 327 

Admonishing  and  punishment  given  by  popes  .  .  .  328 

-ties  and  patriarchs  .  .  .  .  *  .  .  .  .  334 

Awful  pictures  of  popedom 340 

Apostates  murdered 348 

Kim  Lincoln's  assassin  was  a  Catholic  ....  348 
Auricular  confession,  means  of  salvation  ....  352 
Advice  of  Lutfier  to  Landgrave  of  Hesse,  on  his  second 

marriage .  .  .  359 

\nai.aptisthadmanywives 360 

Augustine  on  the  laying  on  of  hands  .  '  .  .  .  .  372 

B 

P.Miop  and  elder 42,  !".»."> 

_ha m  on  James,  president 81 

Baptist  Church  in  America       .        .        .        .  *     *        .        •         109 


INDEX. 


Buck          .         .         .         •         •  113,  114,  117,  144 

Baptist  denomination       .         .  • 123,  357 

Buckland,  R.  J.  W.  . 128 

Baptist  principles  discussed 137,  144 

Baptists  persecute    .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .         144,  U6 

Bossuet,  J.  B.    .         .         .    /.'(   ,;.•/..         .         .          149,150 

Book  of  Mormon       -**— -nrr-^ •__-,..  —  ..u..     •         •         .         293,  373 

Bishop  of  Rome        .         .     • 297,  308 

Boniface   .         .         .         .         .         .        .         .         .          302,310,311 

Bible  societies 334 

Brovvnson  says  about  Catholics       .  ....        337 

Books  for  Catholics  in  schools      f 340 

Blessing  of  the  priest  for  confessors 353 

Bruces       .         .        ..-...-       .         .         .         358,  361 

Baptism 363 

Beza  on  baptism       .        .        . 364 

Brenner  on  baptism 364 

Bretschneider  on  baptism 364 

Bloomfleld  on  baptism     .  .       .       _. 366 

Bingham  on  baptism        . 368 


Christian  church  containing  both  priesthoods         .        17,  35,  40,  41 

Changeableness  of  priesthood         .' 30,  32 

Chief  apostle  and  high  priest  .         .    •    .        .        .        .         .          51 

Counsellors  to  president,  two .        .    •    .    •    .        .        .        .          67 

Church  of  Rev.  xii.  .         .        ....         .        .        .          85 

Campbell,  Alex.         .         .        ....        .        .        .  95,  182 

Corinthians,  Chap,  xiii.,  explained 100 

Conscience  not  a  safe  guide 102,  105 

Church,  Lutheran Ill 

Calvinists          .        ..-.-; 113 

Church,  Presbyterian       .        ...        .         ..       .         .         .         116 

Creed,  Presbyterian         »        .     " 118,121 

Church,  Episcopalian       .        .        .        .        .         .        .          120,  356 

Cobbett's  letters       : 122,  152 

Church,  Baptist .         .         .         123 

Church  of  Christ  compared  with  Baptist        ....         133 

Cyclopedia,  People's         .....       ..         .    ,    .        .         151 

Comber,  Dr.      .        .''     ...        .        .         .    "    .         .         152 

Church,  Catholic 154 

Church,  Methodist 137 

Coke,  Dr.          .        .        .        .  • 162 

Church,  Congregational 166 

Church,  Disciple       .        ;        .        .        .        .        .        .        .         172 

Capel,  Monsignor     .        .        ^       *. 160 

Churches 295,299,310,311 

Clergy  and  creed .         303,  327 

Constantine  professed  conversion 296,  297 


INDKX. 

>ns 290 

•.-tantinoplr  M-at  of  civilization 298 

Council  of  Chair  eilon       ........  298 

Chureh  an. I  >tate 300 

Christ  i:i  11  priests       .        .        .        . 303 

<  "ii^ult  pope  in  temporal  matters.  .        .     .  •        .        .        .  304 

Cross  the  Alps  in  \vintrr          .         ...        .        .         .        .  305 

Covered  with  vermin        . 308 

Crusaders 314 

Confirmed  by  the  pope    .       . 329 

Church  not  to  be  established  except  by  pope          .         .         .  328 

Cutho lie  Church  !ir>t,  and  state  next 33* 

Cardinal  Manning  on  popish  power        .        .        .        .        .  331 

Character  of  popes «        ...  341 

ing  all  of  them,  popes      .        ...        .        .        .  342 

iVssion  to  be  made  by  Catholic.        ..,-     .        »        .        .  354 
Calvin  on  baptism    .        .        .        .'       ...        *        .         367, 368 

Charles  Anthon  on  baptism     .        .        ....        .        .  ;;•;:> 

Chambers  on  infant  baptism    ...        .        .        .        .        .  370 

Cnrcellams  on  infant  baptism 370 

(  \  prian  on  the  laying  on  of  hands  .         ....      .         .         371,  372 

lence  of  Smith  and  Rice         .        .        .        .         374,375 

Copy  of  Mr.  Nice's  letter 378 

D 

in  ition  of  priesthood  .        .........        .        .  1 

Definition  between  priesthoods        .....        .        .  13 

Divine  call  to  priestly  office     .......         .         .  21 

Doetrines  fundamental     ....      ...         ...  83 

nsion  of  the  church      '  .    .    .    .    .  i-u  .    ;*        .        .  87 

Disciple  Church ...  172 

Detector .        .  49 

Dae  bishop  of  Constantinople         .        .    •    .        .        .        .  298 

Dowling  says    .        .        .        .        •, '    •.,  .      .        .        .        .  301 

1  >ark  ages          .        .        .        .        ..*...        .  301 

Dominican  and  Franciscan  orders  .        .        .        .        .        .  314 

Decree  of  Pope  Innocent  III.  .    ....        ,    .    .^       .        .  314 

Divine  inspiration    .        .        .        .        .        •        ,f       .        .  327 

Damned  to  die  by  pope     .        .        .        .        •        .        .        .  335 

Dislike  of  Protestant  children,  taught  it        ,        .  ,:    >        .  346 

Dublin  mass .  347 

Disobedience  to  be  stopped  by  hanging  by  neck     .        .  357 

Demiug,  A.  B.,  wanted  Spaulding  romance    .        .        .        .  376 


Ellas,  John  Baptist  .  .  .  %  ,  *  .  .  .  20 
Kneyclopajdia  on  James  as  president  .,«,..  .  .  79 
Ku^ -bills  on  James,  president  ....  .  .  .  .  79 


INDEX. 


Eusebius,  grandchildren  of  Judas  .        .        .        .        .        •      2,  81 

Episcopalians 120,  295 

Encyclopedia  Britannica         .        .        .        .        .        .         .         171 

Exarchs 296 

Emperor  .         ...        .....        .          296,  300,  302 

Eastern  churches      .        ...        .        .        .        .        .         300 

Elements  of  letters  .        .        ...        .        .         .        .         301 

Edwin  D.  Mead,  of  Boston      ......        .        .        .         321 

Education  an  American  hobby         ...        .        .        .         343 

Epictetus  on  baptism        .        .        .        ...        .        .         366 

Eusebius  on  laying  on  of  hands 371 

E.  L.  Kelley,  letter  to  W.  W.  Blair  on  manuscript        „         .        379 


First  principles  of  the  Gospel 9 

Friends  or  Quakers  .        . 164 

Fox,  George     .     -   .  •   •   .        ..    •   .  ;->    .        .        .         .         .  16"» 

Fifteenth  century     .        . HOI 

France  governed  by  Pepin 303 

Fathers  of  the  church      . 304 

Fasts  and  feasts       .        . 305 

Funeral  solemnity  not  allowed        ....        .        .        .  306 

Familiars  or  Inquisition           . 314 

Fagots  tied  up  with  ribbons .  316 

Forms  of  blessing  in  bestowing  indulgences          .        .         .  318 

Famous  Jubilee 325 

Filthy  concubines     .        .        .    - 333 

Father  cures  him 335 

Free  public  school  system  go  to  the  devil       ....  340 

Fuller,  Richard,  on  baptism     .«...' 365 


Gospel  administered  by  authority  of  priesthood     . 

Gospel  antiquity 7,  10 

Gospel,  first  principles 9 

German  emperors 304 

God's  gifts,  indulgences  . 319 

Gladstone  says 325 

Govern  the  people,  or  all  is  lost  to  Catholicism      .        .         .  337 
Gregory  the  Great    .        .         .        .        .        .        .        .         341,  348 


High  priest  continueth  ever 54 

Hegesippus  on  James  as  president 65 

Hprding,  D.  D.,  Rev.  J.  W.,  on  James    .    •     .        .        .        .79,117 

Howard  Osgood,  Prof.     .        . 130 

Harris,  Mr.        .        .  293 


INDEX. 

Hildebrand,  Gregory  VII 305 

Henry  II.,  king  of  England,  walks  barefoot  305 

11-   who  kills  a  non-Catholic  is  no  murderer  legally        .        .  328 

H.-eker,  Father,  says  America  will  receive  Catholicism          .  332 

Holy  Bible  a  detestable  thing  .        ......  333 

11  on  i i.l.    \  at  -  wherein  men  perished  alive       .        .-'"'.'      .  339 

ii,  \\  m  ,  says  of  Catholics       .        .        .        ...  347 

II.  nr\  VIII  ,  Kngland  cannot  be  proud  of      ....  357 

Hoaplnlaiitis  on  baptism  .       .        .       .       .       .        .       .  364 

11  \ «le,  Kt-v.  Dr.,  written  on  manuscript .        ,       *,        .        .  377 


I 

I  M-I  i  tut  ion- of  Moses  similar  to  that  of  Christ      .        .        .          63 

Institution  of  MOM-S  and  Christ 82,83 

Iu-pitv<l  miiiixt. -rs  to  continue  in  the  Christian  church  .  .  9',) 
Ignorance  of  the  clergy  .  .  .'.*..•.  .  301 
Imlulgences  sold  .  .  .  308,  317,  323,  324,  325,  338,  347,  355 
IiHIiii.sition  .  .  .  311,312,315,316,317,323,334,339,347 
Infallibility  of  popes .342 


I-noranee  »>rini:>  order,  says  Catholics  . 
Illii>trution  of  what  Catholics  have  done 
linage  \\orxhip  a^  means  of  salvation 
Immaculate  conception  of  Virgin  Mary  . 


343 
344 

349,  350 
351,  352 


John  Baptist  a  priest        •        .        •        .        .        .        .        .  18 

John  Baptist  the  Eliaa     .              .       .       .  •    .  ••  .       .  20 

Jesus  callr<l  t«>  the  priesthood        .        .        •        .        .        .  52 

James,  the  Lord's  brother,  president  of  the  church       .     '  .  58 

.lames  president — Hegesippus        .    •    •        .        .         .  '^    .  65 

James  president  —  Bingham    .        .        i        i        .        .     ;  .  65 

James  president  — Pictorial  Bible   .        .        .        .      •*.*-       .  66 

James  appointed  to  an  office  in  the  priesthood       ...  66 

Jude  and  Judas,  counsellors    .        .        .    • 70,71 

Jerome  on  ordination  of  James       .        .    -     .    -    .        .'"•'.' 

Jones's  church  history    .       .•••••      •.   •    •       .  94 

Jones,  L.  G .        .        ...  124 

.lolmson,  J.  T..'       .        ...-'.        .        .        .  j     :.        i  173 

Judaism .     l  .   •     .    •    .        .  313 

John  Tetzel,  pedler  of  indulgences         .        .....  319 

John  XII.,  name  changed  when  chosen  to  the  papacy  . 

John  II uss  burned    .        .        .        .        .    -    .      j:v     '• ;      •  3*2 

Jesuits'  society  and  oaths  ,        .        .       -*'       w; 

Josephus  on  baptism        .        .'       i  '      ;        .        .        •        •  365 

John  Wesley  on  baptism .                .        .        .        .        .        367,  368 

James  H.  Fairchild's  letter      .        .                .     '*        .        .  379 


INDEX. 


Kingdom  of  God  taken  from  Jews 36 

Keys  conferred  upon  Peter,  James,  and  John,  as  ministers 

to  all  nations 77 

Keys.         .         .         .        .  ' 298,  310,  317 

Kings  dethroned  by  popes        .        . 303 

Kill  him  —  John,  king  of  England 306 

Kingdom  not  of  this  world 310 

Kings  have  no  jurisdiction  over  popes 330 


Laws  of  initiation  into  the  church  .... 

Lutheran  Church Ill 

Lincoln,  Heman 127 

Leo  Great     ;    .      '.        .        .         .       ..        .     ..          298,317,322 

Lord's  supper  .    %j-v    *        •         •         .        .        •         •         •        306 

Luther,  Martin       -•',.. 320,358,361 

Leroy  M.  Vernon  says  of  Romanism 327 

Liberty  of  conscience  not  allowed  by  pope    .        .        .        340,  341 
Lost  forever  because  not  a  Catholic       .        .        ,        .        .        345 

Limbo  part  of  hell 355 

Luther  on  baptism 364 

Luther  on  infant  baptism 370 

M 

Melchisedec    priesthood  authority    for    administering    the 

Gospel 

Moses  held  higher  priesthood 13 

Melchisedec    and    Aaronic    priesthood    in    the    Christian 

church 17,  35 

Melchisedec  priesthood  unchangeable 30 

Moses  and  the  seventy  elders 39 

Mosheim's  history 93,  300 

Marsh's  history        . 91,  164 

Miller,  V.  S 120 

Mitchell,  Dr 293 

Man  of  Sin      .        .  \    ...'..    ,    .        .        .          294,304,356 
Make  me  bishop       .        ..*..*.        .        .,  .        297 

Middle  Ages     .        .        .        . 301 

Midnight .  301 

Money  wanted  by  bishops        ........        c        .        .          307,319,325 

Mary,  mother  of  God      .  319,  349,  352 

Mother  of  harlots  .          .         .         «         .         .         .         .         325,  345 

Monsignor  Capel  said  in  New  York         .        .        .        .         338,  339 

Murder  permitted  by  pope       .        •'*-«•        •        •         •        •        348 

Moses,  respect  to  marriage 361 


INDEX. 

Marriage,  contract  of,  Philip  Landgrave       ....  362 

M"-li«'im  on  l»;ij»ti>m 368 

M,  ]>•   la  Koque  on  infant  baptism.        .....  369 

M 08 helm  on  laying  on  of  hands 372 

Manuscript  could  not  be  found 373 


New  kingdom 33 

Northrop.  <;«••).  \V 129 

Naked  hod) 305 

>l"  i -lighted  or  divine  service 306 

If o  tadalgences  sold 348 

Neauder  on  infant  baptism 370 


OnVe  of  priesthood  cannot  be  assmned  at  will      ...         16 

Order  of  offices  In  priesthood 42,43,45 

Office  of  chief  apofttle  and  high  priest 51,55 

Office  of  twel ye  apostles  not  the  highest        •       .       .       .        54 

<  >nl.T  \va-  t.-iTible 307 

Our  Lonl  God  the  pope 334 

«»f  allegiance 338 

oath  and  drny  adultery  or  any  crime      ....         338,339 
U!*hauscn  on  baptism      ....       •;-•     .        .        .        366 


Priesthood  defined    .        .        .        .        •'.'..'.        .  1 

Prirxtli< MM |.  . \aronic  and  Melchisedec  ...  4 


Pri.-Mh 1  with  Israelites 

l'ri«  xthood,  predictions  concerning 
PrirMhood  in  Christian  church 
Privileges  of  house  of  God 
Pictorial  Bible  on  Jude 
Peter  not  the  president 


12 
27 

17,  35,  40,  41 
40 
71 
72 


Peter,  president  of  college  of  apostles 

Presidency  and  twelve  associated   •       •. ,      .        .        .        .  74 

Priesthood  lineal      ....       .,-      .       -\  •       *  78 

Pi  iinitive  church,  Rev.  xii.      .        .        .       *        ••      •        •  85 

1'K  sbyterians r        .        .        .  116 

l'<  rsecutions,  Baptist       .        .        .        .        .        .        .         144,  146 

Protestants  excommunicated 

Priesthood  and  succession 160 

Puritans    .        .        .        .        .       o       .        .        .        .        .  171 

Priesthood,  John  Wesley .        . 159 

Presbyter .        .  295 

Patriarchs         .        .        .        •      yffej- 296 

Prebendaries     .        . 296 

Political  consequence       .                 299 


INDEX. 

Peter  I.,  bishop  of  Rome 209 

Popes  supreme  judges      .         .         .    300,  302,  306,  308,  322,  329,  330 

Phocas,  Emperor 30J 

Popery,  or  the  religion  of  the  pope 302 

Priests,  corrupt         .        .         .      , 303,  347 

Pepin,  papal  decision 304 

Proper  history  of  papacy  begins 304 

Priests,  double  portion 306 

Price  lists  for  the  privilege  of  sinning 318 

Purgatory  releases  her  subjects  for  money     .  320 

Prostitution  encouraged  by  popes 324 

Pope  Joan  a  woman 326 

Pope  has  rights  to  countries  to  whom  he  wills        .         0        •  327 

Pope  has  right  to  annul  state  laws 327 

Pius  IX 3L'S 

Prince  Bismarck  on  Italian  pope 32!) 

Pope  cursings  and  awful  denunciations  .         .         .          334,  335,  33G 

Public  schools  to  be  avoided  by  Catholics       ....  34u 
Protestantism  cannot  be  trusted      ....         341,344,345 

Peter's,  St.,  keys 342 

Pastors  allowed  to  do  things  laity  are  not       ....  343 

Protestants  might  learn  meekness 347 

Priest  tells  what  people  confess  to  in  confession   .         .        .  353 

Protestant  churches 362 

Prof.  Stuart  on  baptism 366 


Royal  priesthood 26 

Right  of  the  first  born 78 

Reformation     .........         106,  110 

Rowlin,  A. 108 

Rupp,  D 117,148,162 

Ray,  D.  B.  137 

Roman  bishops 300 

Roman  supremacy  over  all  earth 304 

Radbert,  Paschasius 306 

Remission  of  sins  purchased 307 

Rover  show  of  relics  of  saints 308 

Romish  system  developed 309,331,341 

Roman  Catholics  against  Swinton's  History  ....        320 

Roderic  Borgia,  Pope  Alexander  VI 324 

Roman  clergy  destroy  America 326,332 

Rosary,  a  string  of  beads 326,352 

Rome  requires  converts  who  join  her  to  forfeit  morals  and 

mental  freedom 329 

Romish  Church  and  authority .         .         .  333,  336,  337,  339,  340 

Reasons  why  Protestants  cannot  be  saved      .         .        .         .        346 

Rheinard  on  sprinkling    .«,...        .        .  .        0        365 

Rosenmuller  on  baptism  .    •    .    • 366 


INDEX. 


Smith,  Dr.  Wm.,  on  James  as  president          .        .        .        .63,64 

Smith,  Dr.  Win  .  on  Peter 73 

Stone,  Barton  W 97,  173,  174 

Sects  not  organized  like  the  ancient  Christian  church    .        .        101 

Smith,  Dr.  Wm '       108 

Schmucker 0        .        112 

Schaff,  Philip 115,  118,  119 

Succession,  Baptist 127,  130 

Simnii,  Meimo 144 

'.t  iti c,  disclosures 293 

•M  I  century 295 

'•ssor 298 

MI  I 'priority  of  rank 299 

niry 300 

ni-elf  above  all  law,  human  or  divine     ....        305 

Support  of  papacy 807 

Sacerdotal  pretension  to  its  highest 309 

Slavery  for  non-Catholic 327 

State  has  the  right  to  say  what  a  man's  n  liirion  shall  be,       328,  329 

Bebools,  public,  governed  by  the  pope 329 

1 1 ry.  Catholic  Church  predominant  .         .         .         330 

Submit  in  all  things  is  Catholic  faith 330 

itkm  depends  on  submission  to  pope       ....       332 
School  system  of  United  States  go  to  the  devil  where  it  came 

from  . 340 

Some  mm  horn  to  lead,  others  to  be  led          .        .        .        .        343 

Sunday  School  Manual,  Catholic  text-book     ....         354 

:  Land-rave  scheme  advised  by  Luther  .         .         359,  361 

!i«i  wife  359 

n:iMu^  nn  baptism  by  immersion  ....  364,  368 
S<  holt/.,  baptism  consists  of  immersion  .....  365 
Smith  in  Dirtinnan  of  the  Bible,  on  baptism  .  .  .  369 
Stark' s  History  of  Baptism  ...  ...  369 


Testimony  of  the  fathers 28 

Tiinnthv  and  Titus,  no  distinctive  title 64,65 

Thrall  " 108 

Tertullian  says 294 

The  little  horn 304 

Thomas  a  Becket,  Archbishop 305 

Transubstantiation 306,  309 

Twelfth  century 307,312 

Thirteenth  century 308 

Tertullian  on  baptism 368 

Tertullian  on  laying  on  of  hands 370 


INDEX. 


Unchangeability  of  priesthood 
Uninstructed    .        . 

Universal  bishop 

Use  the  title 

Universal  Father 

Unom  Sanctum 

United  States  erelong  receive  Catholicism 
Unitarians         .        ..... 


30 
301 
302 
302 
305 
310 
332 


Virgin  Ma.y 306,  313,  334 

Various  orders  and  ranks 307 

Vicar  of  God 325 

Vicar  of  Christ 331 

View  Roman  Catholic  takes  of  an  oath 337 

Views  of  eminent  authors  on  baptism 364 

Vitringa  on  baptism  by  immersion         ....         3G4,  367 
Vcnema  on  baptism 367 

W 

Waddington 94,150,295,311,324 

Wesley,  John 95,  157 

Williams,  Wm .        .         128 

Weston,  D 130 

Williams,  Roger  ...%...         150,  153 

Walsh,  S.  H 151 

Whately    .  152 

Watson,  Richard 158,  160 

Wesley,  authority  of 159 

Wealth 296 

Western  Roman  Empire  ....  .  301 

Word  pope  comes  from  Greek  papa         .  .  303 

Whip  his  bare  back  to  please  the  pope  -  .  305 

Wafer  real  body  of  Christ      ...  .  306 

Wycliffe  on  heresy .  322 

Woman  in  papal  chair 326 

What  L.  L.  Rice  says  about  manuscript         ....        376 

Z 

Zachariah  a  priest  • 19 

Zebedee  and  Joseph,  house 78 


